The second Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe has ended in an emphatic victory for the hosts in Chattogram’s newly named Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium, with the Tigers beating the Chevrons by an innings and 106 runs in only three days.
After an underwhelming display in Sylhet, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s men needed a strong performance to hit back at all the questions asked of them. While fans are still skeptical about the team, the performance was a marked improvement.
Before the game, Bangladesh made two changes, bringing back Anamul Haque Bijoy after a three-year spell on the fringes. The top order batter has been one of the top domestic performers and merited a comeback into the side. The other change was debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who got Bangladesh’s 107th test cap. One of the most consistent white ball players for Bangladesh in recent time, Sakib had played in 17 first class games before this match.
Zimbabwe started strongly after winning the toss and electing to bat first, scoring 177/2 thanks to a solid display from Sean Williams. But Bangladesh would assert their dominance soon as Nayeem Hasan and Taijul Islam began going through the Zimbabwean middle order quickly. Nick Welch would mount a fight later on, but Taijul proved to be the bane for the Chevron batters as he picked up 6/60, constricting the away side to 227.
In response, Bangladesh would go off to a flying start thanks to the returning Anamul Haque and Shadman Islam. The pair would put up a century partnership, the first for Bangladesh since December 2022. Anamul’s comeback innings would be restricted to 39 but his partner Shadman Islam would go on to score 120, his second test ton.
Bangladesh would struggle to build strong partnerships in the middle courtesy of debutant Vincent Masakesa’s fifer. But a fighting hundred from Mehidy Hasan Miraz with the lower middle order meant the Tigers would have a commanding lead of 217 runs, finishing on 444 on Day 3.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz would show his all-round credentials as he became the joint fifth fastest player in history to pick up 200 Test wickets and 2000 Test runs. Zimbabwe would struggle from the start as they lost 2 tickets for 8 runs. The wickets would come in regular intervals as Taijul and Mehidy ran riot through the visiting batters, bowling them out for 111.
The victory marked Bangladesh’s first Test win in six matches at home, breaking their losing streak. Mehidy Hasan Miraz would be judged the man of the match and the player of the series for his performance, picking up 15 wickets and 116 runs.