Zimbabwe put on a stellar performance with both bat and ball on the opening day of the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Harare to take total control of the contest. Bangladesh suffered a stunning collapse that saw them go from 113/2 to 140 all out before the hosts managed to almost wipe out the first innings total by stumps.
Bangladesh kicked off on a watchful note against the new ball scoring just six runs from the first six overs. During the toss, skipper Najmul Shanto stressed upon the importance of batting cautiously in the first two hours due to the moisture on the surface but the visitors were dealt a blow early the moment Newman Nyamhuri came into the attack. Mahmudul Hasan Joy was adjudged caught behind and looked unhappy with the decision. Given there was no DRS, the opener couldn’t challenge the on-field call. Mominul Haque then started off on a positive note and that appeared to rub off on Shadman Islam as well who smashed back-to-back boundaries off Blessing Muzarabani.
Once again, it was the introduction of a new bowler that brought an opening for Zimbabwe as Brad Evans came in and immediately struck as Islam edged one to slip. Zimbabwe couldn’t make further inroads in the session though as skipper Shanto stood firm alongside Mominul. Shanto also received a reprieve from Ben Curran in the slip cordon whereas Mominul continued to bat with freedom, keeping the scorecard ticking. At lunch, Bangladesh had crawled to a decent position after the initial setbacks and their march continued post the resumption as well. Mominul brought up an excellent half-century off just 65 balls and looked set for more but Nyamhuri broke through to kickstart a slide from which Bangladesh never recovered.
In an attempt to break the shackles, Shanto played an ugly slog against Evans, only to get dismissed. Richard Ngarava then got rid of Mushfiqur Rahim with a yorker before dismissing Towhid Hridoy. With the floodgates well and truly open, the procession just didn’t stop. Muzarabani and Nyamhuri picked up the final four wickets in less than four overs to cap off a brilliant session for Zimbabwe. Brimming with confidence, the home side got going with the bat as well in reply. Innocent Kaia and Curran managed to add 48 runs in just the first ten overs with the former in particular looking in sizzling touch.
Kaia hammered back-to-back boundaries off Hasan Mahmud and at that point, his strike rate even went past 100. While they were desperate for a breakthrough, Bangladesh couldn’t contain the run flow either. With 89 runs wiped out already in 16 overs, Zimbabwe finally lost a wicket when Curran edged one behind to the slip cordon. Kaia, who was struggling with cramps, managed to go past fifty at the other end and he had the veteran Brendan Taylor for company. The duo continued to keep Bangladesh at bay for the rest of the day with Kaia adding to his boundary tally towards the end. By stumps, the hosts were just four runs short of Bangladesh’s tally and will fancy their chances of blowing their opponents away completely on Monday.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 136/1 (Innocent Kaia 76*, Ben Curran 42) trail Bangladesh 140 (Mominul Haque 60; Newman Nyamhuri 4-61) by 4 runs