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Bangladesh suffered a dramatic batting collapse to be bowled out for just 140 in their first innings against Zimbabwe before tea on the opening day of the one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
After winning the toss, Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine elected to field first, and his pace attack made full use of the lively conditions to put Bangladesh under pressure from the outset.
Left-arm pacer Newman Nyamhuri starred with the ball, claiming 4 for 61, while Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans chipped in with two wickets each to expose Bangladesh’s batting frailties.
Bangladesh endured an early setback, slipping to 36 for 2 after losing both openers. Mahmudul Hasan Joy managed just 2 before falling early, while Shadman Islam made 20 but failed to convert his start.
The innings was revived by a composed 77-run partnership between Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who steadied the visitors after the early blows.
Mominul was the standout performer, playing an attacking knock of 60 from 81 balls that included 12 boundaries. His innings marked his 28th Test half-century and briefly put Bangladesh in a position to build a competitive total.
However, the experienced left-hander’s dismissal proved to be the turning point of the innings. Caught by Craig Ervine off Nyamhuri with the score on 113, Mominul’s departure triggered a spectacular collapse.
From 113 for 2, Bangladesh lost their remaining eight wickets for just 27 runs, undoing all the good work of the third-wicket partnership.
Captain Shanto failed to capitalise on his start, scoring 19 before edging Brad Evans behind to wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga.
Richard Ngarava then dealt successive blows by bowling veteran Mushfiqur Rahim for 9 and dismissing Test debutant Towhid Hridoy for 3, caught behind.
Blessing Muzarabani joined the party by removing another debutant, Amite Hasan, for 4, leaving Bangladesh reeling.
Nyamhuri then wrapped up the tail, dismissing Taijul Islam for 9 before clean bowling Khaled Ahmed without scoring to complete his four-wicket haul. Muzarabani also accounted for Hasan Mahmud for a duck to finish with 2 for 19, while Ngarava and Evans ended with two wickets apiece.
Bangladesh were eventually dismissed in 47.2 overs, having squandered a promising position through a familiar middle and lower-order collapse.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers maintained disciplined lines throughout the innings, consistently exploiting seam movement and bounce to prevent Bangladesh from building lasting partnerships. The hosts will now look to capitalise on their strong start by posting a sizeable first-innings total and seizing early control of the Test.
