District Correspondent, Sylhet: In the first match of the two-match Test series at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, host Bangladesh faltered despite a promising start after winning the toss and opting to bat. Openers Shadman Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy gave an initial glimmer of hope with their cautious start, hinting at a strong innings. However, that optimism was short-lived as both openers were dismissed early, leaving Bangladesh at 32/2.
Bangladesh lost their first wicket at 31 runs when Shadman fell to Victor Nyauchi while attempting a drive, getting caught at gully for 12 runs. Shortly after, Nyauchi struck again to remove Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who departed for 14 runs, dealing a significant blow to the team.
To recover from the early setbacks, experienced batters Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came to the crease. The duo raised hopes of steadying the innings but couldn’t sustain their partnership for long. Shanto departed after scoring 40 off 69 balls, leaving Bangladesh at 98/3. The 66-run partnership off 128 balls provided some respite but failed to fully rebuild the innings.
Next to arrive was veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim, who also failed to make an impact. Mushfiqur was dismissed for just 4 runs off 18 balls, leaving Bangladesh in deeper trouble at 123/4 in 28.6 overs.
Mominul, anchoring the innings, found brief support from debutant Zakir Ali. However, the duo could only add 13 runs off 20 balls before Mominul, after scoring his 22nd Test fifty, fell victim to Wellington Masakadza. He scored 56 off 105 balls. Mehidy Hasan Miraz soon followed, contributing just 1 run from 4 balls.
At the time of writing, Bangladesh was 146/6 after 48 overs, with Zakir Ali (6) and Taijul Islam (3) fighting to post a respectable total.
Earlier, Bangladesh had opted to bat first after winning the toss, and the match began at 10 a.m. Despite Zimbabwe’s poor form in recent years—they have not won a single Test in four years, including losses to emerging teams like Afghanistan and Ireland—they posed a challenge for the hosts.
Bangladesh opted against experimenting, fielding a strong lineup with three pacers and two spinners. The pace attack includes Nahid Rana, Syed Khaled Ahmed, and Hasan Mahmud, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam lead the spin department. Zakir Ali was handed the wicketkeeping duties, and Mahmudul Hasan Joy got the nod as an opener over Zakir Hasan.
Zimbabwe, desperate for a win after years of drought in Test cricket, also fielded their best XI to challenge the hosts.
Bangladesh XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Zakir Ali (wicketkeeper), Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana.
Zimbabwe XI: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Wesley Madhevere, Nyasha Mayavo (wicketkeeper), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi.
