Fifties from Shanto and Mominul put Bangladesh in driving seat
Better performances with the bat ensured that Bangladesh were in the driving seat at the end of the second day’s play. Bangladesh ended the day on 240-3 and are only 25 runs behind.
Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque had promised in the pre-match press conference that someone from Bangladesh would go on to score big in their one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
Despite the visible improvement in the side's batting, none could keep their skipper's words as Tamim Iqbal and Nazmul Hossain Shanto played well but could not make it big. Tamim scored 41 whereas Shanto scored 71 but Mominul can prove his words to be true as he is still unbeaten at the crease on 79. Mushfiqur Rahim is keeping his skipper company as he is unbeaten on 32.
Better performances with the bat ensured that Bangladesh were in the driving seat at the end of the second day's play. Bangladesh ended the day on 240-3 and are only 25 runs behind.
Zimbabwe had ended the first day on 228-6 courtesy of a 107-run knock from their skipper Craig Ervine. And it took Bangladeshi bowlers just more than an hour to bundle them out for 265 as Abu Jayed Rahi and Taijul Islam picked up the remaining four wickets.
In their batting stint, Bangladesh were struck with a blow early on as Saif Hassan fell prey to Victor Nyauchi. The batsman could only score eight but from there on Tamim Iqbal and Nazmul Hossain Shanto put up a 78-run stand.
Tamim went to score 41 in which he reached a couple of milestones before he was caught behind off a ripper by Donald Tiripano. Before getting dismissed, Tamim became the first Bangladeshi batsman to reach 13,000 runs in international cricket. Also, he surpassed Shakib Al Hasan as the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh in Tests at home.
But Shanto continued on his good form as he went on to pick up his first international fifty. Shanto had scored an unbeaten 253 in the 8th Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) before this Test and also had got off to a couple of solid starts against in Bangladesh's first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi.
Shanto looked on course to score his maiden hundred but a delivery from Charlton Tshuma bounced a tad much and put curtains to Shanto's knock on 71.
Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim then put up an unbeaten 68-run stand to ensure that Bangladesh did not lose any more wickets at the end of the day.
