Zimbabwe 282 and 138 for 4 (H Masakadza 46*) need another 263 runs to beat Bangladesh 391 and 291 for 9 dec (Mushfiqur 93, Nasir 67*, Shakib 59, S Masakadza 4-58)
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The moment Ziaur Rahman hit Brendan Taylor's pad in front of the stumps
and the umpire raised his finger, Bangladesh were closer to a rare Test
win. At the end of the fourth day of the second and final Test, Zimbabwe
were 138 for 4, chasing a 401-run target set up by Mushfiqur Rahim's
93.
The Zimbabwe captain's wicket was the one Mushfiqur would have wanted
more than the seven runs by which he missed his third Test hundred.
After umpire Ian Gould lifted his finger, it was easy to see and hear
what it meant to the fielding side which was screaming for joy. Zimbabwe
were 96 for 3, with their best batsman and captain out of the equation
with a day remaining.
Malcolm Waller also fell to Ziaur for 15, missing a straightening
delivery as his lack of footwork shackled him to the crease. Shingirai
Masakadza was sent in as the nightwatchman at 118 for 4 with more than
15 overs remaining in the day, a strange decision but one which
ultimately paid off. His elder brother Hamilton held his own at the
other end, unbeaten on 46 off 94 balls.
Zimbabwe started the fourth innings positively but in the tenth over,
Regis Chakabva played inside the line of a Shakib Al Hasan delivery
which spun past to strike off. Vusi Sibanda fell soon after for a
50-ball 32, driving one straight to Sohag Gazi at short cover off
Shakib.
Mushfiqur would thank his lucky stars that finally bowlers other than
Robiul Islam stood up. Ziaur bowled a 10-over spell, mainly focused on
being accurate. He hardly has pace like he did a few years ago, but
managed to bring in his shoulders to generate speed. Shakib and Gazi
bowled tightly too, both using a typical left-arm spinner and
offspinner's line. There was hardly a loose ball.
Bangladesh declared about an hour after lunch on 291 for 9, going ahead
of the home side by exactly 400 runs. Shakib, Mushfiqur and Nasir
Hossain hit their second fifties of the game.
Nasir stretched the lead with the tail, making an unbeaten 67 and
scoring most of the 40 runs that came after lunch. Apart from his
effort, Bangladesh's dominance was also due to captain Mushfiqur's
attentiveness to the situation.
He made 93 before being brilliantly caught at gully by Sibanda off
Hamilton Masakadza, and his persistence was crucial to his side's
staying power. Along with Nasir, he had to see off the first half-hour,
which has often produced wickets in Harare. Though they hardly found
boundaries because the home side had deep fielders on both sides, they
played carefully. Zimbabwe bowled wide too, and the batsmen cut out the
rash shots.
Mushfiqur and Nasir were happy picking up singles until the captain
began to open up with a mistimed scoop and a slog-sweep - both off Elton
Chigumbura. He had earlier hit a cover drive that sped to the boundary
but the wicket had slowed down, and bounce was also on the low side. He
and Nasir added 84 for the sixth wicket, back-to-back 80-plus
partnerships for Mushfiqur, after his fifth-wicket stand with Shakib on
the third evening.
Taylor missed the long hours put in by Keegan Meth, who is out with a
right knee injury. He was seen sitting on the sidelines with his feet up
and knee strapped. Hamilton Masakadza, bowling medium-pace, took three
wickets but was never going to be as big a threat to the visitors. Kyle
Jarvis did not bowl with the venom of the first Test, but Shingi
Masakadza remained steady and picked up four wickets.
Had the Zimbabwe bowlers put up a better show even on the fourth
morning, the Test match could have remained competitive. Bangladesh got
most of what happened on the fourth day their way, though there again
was the odd leg-before decision that they were denied. They would still
take it, given they are closing in on a Test win for the first time in
nearly four years.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. He tweets here
Feeds: Mohammad Isam
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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