admincollapse would not be disastrous on day two of this Test at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
At the close of play the visitors, chasing Zimbabwe’s 370, were 107-3.
Zimbabwe and Bangladesh tussled with the expected competitiveness that two evenly-matched teams were tipped to produce.
After bowling Zimbabwe out for 370 midway through the second session Bangladesh scored at a brisk rate, but were kept on their toes by Zimbabwe’s debut new-ball pair of Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis, with Vitori’s two early strikes giving Zimbabwe the advantage.
Vitori and Jarvis both made impressive starts to their Test careers, bowling with good pace and getting impressive carry.
Left-armer Vitori got consistent away movement from the left-handers and could prove a handful for the right-handers later on.
He controlled his short ball well and was rewarded when Imrul Kayes was forced to play at one that held its line and got the outside edge through to first slip.
He dismissed the other opener, Tamim Iqbal, in similar fashion, making him play at a length ball that caught the edge and found a diving Brendan Taylor at second slip.
Jarvis was the quicker of the two, but occasionally pitched it too full. Shahriar Nafees has survived despite being dropped once, edging a few times and looking unsure of himself. If he calms down,
Bangladesh could stabilise in the evening session.
Zimbabwe would have been disappointed with their batting on the second day as their middle and lower order failed to build on the foundation that the top order had laid.
Masakadza’s second Test century drove the innings, before some batsmen fell to poor shot selection and others caved in to the traps the Bangladesh bowlers set.
Shafiul Islam and Robiul Islam began the morning with the opposite approach to the one they employed yesterday, bowling wicket to wicket and fuller instead of wide of offstump or too short, forcing defensive strokes. Taylor and Masakadza were up for the initial wave of attack and played it out with the same careful tactics they had employed in the latter periods of the first day’s play; but they struggled to score. After 13 overs, they had added just nine runs to the overnight total and appeared to be stagnating.
Masakadza’s measured start paid off when he brought up his hundred with an elegant clip to square leg. The weight of expectation finally leapt off him as he raised his arms and kissed his badge, acknowledging a joyous dressing room. His innings was a display of maturity and technical aptitude.
Taylor, who had batted demurely for the most part of his innings, reached his 50 off 140 balls with a rare shot of aggression, a crisp cut off the back foot. Just as Taylor and Masakadza looked ready to begin the assault, Masakadza drove once too many times away from his body and got an edge, which was gobbled up by Imrul Kayes at first slip.
With that breakthrough, Bangladesh went into hunting mode and Mahmudullah was brought on after 18 overs. His only task was to remove left-hander Craig Ervine, which he did by trapping him lbw, and was promptly taken out of the attack after two overs.
Taylor crept back into his shell with those two losses and struggled with his footwork, causing his own undoing when he slashed at a Robiul delivery and was caught behind.
Shakib removed Elton Chigumbura on the stroke of lunch, with the former captain getting a top edge in his attempt to sweep, giving Bangladesh bragging rights after the first session.
When Shakib continued after the break, he did not let up on his mission to attack and had five men surrounding the bat. As he has done so many times in the past, he was at the forefront of his team’s success, creating pressure and maintaining it.
Rubel Hossain showed similar aggression in bowling to the lower order and removed Ray Price, but it was Shakib who made the big breakthroughs, getting Tatenda Taibu and debutant Brian Vitori, who refreshingly played his shots. Taibu was caught at first slip after being enticed forward by a full delivery. He couldn’t counter the turn and bounce that Shakib was getting, while Vitori fell attempting a big shot to deep midwicket. – cricinfo/Sports Reporter.
derick.khumalo