Bangladesh appeared to be in a strong position after three days of the first Test against Zimbabwe, but a dramatic collapse on the fourth morning saw the Tigers fall to a 3-wicket defeat, handing Zimbabwe a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Resuming on 194 for 4, Bangladesh were bowled out for just 255, setting Zimbabwe a target of 174. Despite some tense moments, the visitors chased down the runs with three wickets in hand.
The turning point, according to many observers and Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto himself, came with his dismissal on the second ball of the day. Set at the crease overnight, Shanto fell early, and the innings quickly unravelled from there.
Speaking candidly in the post-match press conference, Shanto did not shy away from taking the blame.
“As professional cricketers, we have to be self-motivated. Motivation alone doesn’t take you far. What matters is learning from our mistakes,” said Shanto. “If you ask me about today’s game, I’d say I alone lost it for the team. That’s the truth. My dismissal in the morning cost us dearly. Had we managed a 50-60 run partnership and taken the score to over 220, we would have been in a much better position.”
Reflecting on his own dismissal, Shanto added, “I’m always looking to score. It was the second ball of the day, and perhaps I should have taken a bit more time. That shot – I play it often – but given the situation, maybe it was unnecessary.”
While acknowledging the quality of Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani, who played a pivotal role in dismantling the Bangladesh line-up, Shanto stressed the need for greater responsibility from the batting unit.
“Muzarabani bowled really well and obviously used his height to his advantage. Still, I think we needed to have a better plan against him. He was their main bowler, and we needed to handle his spells with more clarity. We did that in patches, but not consistently enough,” Shanto said.
He admitted that the team’s overall performance wasn’t up to standard: “It was disappointing. If you look at the whole match, we didn’t play particularly good cricket. That’s why we lost. I wouldn’t say it was an upset. We simply didn’t perform well enough.”
Asked whether the first five overs of the morning decided the match, the skipper agreed: “I think my dismissal changed the momentum entirely. Zimbabwe seized that moment, and we couldn’t recover.”
Shanto credited bowlers Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam for their efforts but felt the total on the board wasn’t enough. “They bowled well and deserve credit. But I still believe we didn’t give them enough runs to defend.”
While disappointed, Shanto remained measured in his emotions. “It doesn’t feel overly heartbreaking. Losing any match hurts, of course, but we just didn’t play to our potential. I truly believe we’re a better team than what we showed out there.”
The second Test of the series is set to begin on April 28 in Chattogram, where Bangladesh will be hoping to bounce back and level the series.