Despite trailing by 25 runs with nine wickets in hand at stumps on day two, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz believes the home side remains firmly in control of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Sylhet.
Bangladesh ended the second day at 57-1 in their second innings, after a disciplined bowling display saw them dismiss Zimbabwe for 273, conceding an 82-run first-innings lead.
Miraz starred with the ball, claiming 5-52—his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket—to wrest momentum back in the Tigers' favour.
“So far, it’s in our control, I think,” said Miraz after the day’s play.
“We could reduce the lead to 25 runs. We are down by one wicket, so if we can bat with enough responsibility, they will face challenges on the fourth day.”
Earlier in the day, fast bowler Nahid Rana impressed with three top-order wickets, while Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud took one each to dent Zimbabwe’s progress. Zimbabwe’s resistance was built around fifties from Sean Williams (59) and Brian Bennett (57), while Richard Ngarava’s unbeaten 28 gave the visitors a late boost.
Reflecting on the bowling effort, Miraz praised the pace unit.
“The bowlers bowled really well today. But we should’ve done that yesterday too. We tried to find out. The pacers bowled well, every one of them. As spinners, our role was to support them,” he said.
“As the pacers have a big role in the first innings of a Test match, they did that massively. It helped the team to get the opposition all out.”
Bangladesh’s second innings began shakily as Sadman Islam edged Blessing Muzarabani to the slips for four. But Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who was given a reprieve, and Mominul Haque ensured there were no further hiccups before the close.
With three full days remaining and the pitch starting to show signs of variable bounce, Miraz stressed the importance of a patient batting approach.
“We will try to give them as many runs to chase and give our bowlers a comfortable cushion,” he added.
Source: The Daily Sun
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