Bangladesh won the second and final test against Zimbabwe by an innings and 106 runs on Wednesday, a decisive victory in less than three days to level the series.

Zimbabwe scored 227 in their first innings after winning the toss, with Bangladesh scoring a formidable 444 in response.

The visitors then collapsed for 111 in the second session of the third day in Chattogram.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz starred with both bat and ball, scoring a century and then bagging 5-32 with the ball to hand Zimbabwe a crushing defeat.

It was the allrounder's third five-wicket haul of the series after five in each innings of the Sylhet test.

His spin-bowling partner Taijul Islam bagged 3-42 for nine wickets in the match.

Bangladesh won by an innings and 106 runs in the second test match to level the series 1-1.#BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/fXRTCVylyw

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) April 30, 2025

Ben Curran was the only batsman to offer some resistance, scoring 46 off 103 balls in an innings laced with five boundaries.

Craig Ervine (25) and Wellington Masakadza (10) were the only other Zimbabweans to reach double digits in the second innings.

Shadman Islam earlier top-scored for Bangladesh with 120 to power the hosts to an imposing total.

Legspinner Vincent Masekesa was the most successful among the Zimbabwe bowlers with 5-115, in the process becoming Zimbabwe's third cricketer to take five wickets on debut after Andy Blignaut and John Nyumbu.

However, his efforts could not stop Bangladesh running away with the match.

Bangladesh added 153 more to their overnight total of 291, with Mehidy assisted by tailenders Taijul (20 off 45) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (41 off 80).

It was Zimbabwe's second successive defeat at the spin-friendly venue and the second time that Bangladesh have defeated Zimbabwe by an innings.

The margin of their first defeat of that magnitude, in Dhaka in 2020, was identical: an innings and 106 runs.

Brief score:

Zimbabwe: 227 (Sean Williams 67, Nick Welch 54; Taijul Islam 6-60) and 111 (Ben Curran 46; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-32)

Toss: Zimbabwe

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BANGLADESH: Anamul Haque, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali (wk), Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nayeem Hasan, Tanzim Hasan.

ZIMBABWE: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzawa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Vincent Masekesa.

Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam smashed a century in the second test against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, giving the hosts a lead of 64 runs at the end of the second day with three wickets in hand.

 

Bangladesh were 291 for seven at the close, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (16) and Taijul Islam (5) remaining not out, in response to Zimbabwe's first innings total of 227.

Shadman recorded a career-best knock of 120 and partnered with Anamul Haque in a first-wicket stand of 118 runs, only the 10th time that Bangladesh's openers had passed the 100-run mark in tests.

Despite Shadman's century, the other batsmen failed to exploit the dry and slow surface at Chattogram after a good start.

Anamul, who was making a comeback to the test team after three years, scored 39.

Mominul Haque (33) and Mushfiqur Rahim (40) have also struggled to convert good starts into big scores.

Mushfiqur, who failed to pass the 50-run mark in the past 12 innings, was run out by Wessly Madhevere.

Bangladesh were 259-3 at one point but then lost their next four wickets for 20 runs.

Vincent Masekesa, Zimbabwe's debutant legspinner, took three wickets, including those of Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and wicketkeeper batter Jaker Ali.

Zimbabwe were earlier dismissed on their overnight score of 227.

Resuming with one wicket in hand, their innings was wrapped up with Taijul's first ball of the second day.

Taijul finished with figures of 6-60.

Zimbabwe are 1-0 up in the two-test series after winning the opener in Sylhet by three wickets.

BRIEF SCORES

Zimbabwe: 227 all out (Sean Williams 67, Nick Welch 54; Taijul Islam 6-60, Nayeem Hasan 2-42).

Bangladesh: 291-7 (Shadman Islam 120, Mushfiqur Rahim 40; Vincent Masekesa 3-44)

Toss: Zimbabwe

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BANGLADESH: Anamul Haque, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali (wk), Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nayeem Hasan, Tanzim Hasan.

ZIMBABWE: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzawa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Vincent Masekesa.

Bangladesh's left-arm spinner Taijul Islam registered his 16th five-wicket haul as Zimbabwe slumped to 227 for nine at the end of the first day of the second test in Chattogram on Monday.

Nick Welch and Sean Williams each scored 50s for the visitors, but the day belonged to Bangladesh as they sought to level the two-match series after losing the opener.

Zimbabwe got off to a decent start after winning the toss and opting to bat, but lost both openers in quick succession.

Debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib made the first breakthrough, getting Brian Bennett caught behind off an outside edge.

Taijul struck with the second delivery of his spell, removing Ben Curran when the opener chopped one onto his stumps for 21 off 50 balls.

Welch and Williams steadied the innings, but their dismissals triggered a collapse, with Taijul getting four wickets in the final session.

He dismissed Wessly Madhevere for 15 in the 79th over and then struck twice more quickly, sending back Wellington Masakadza for six and Richard Ngarava for a first-ball duck.

Taijul claimed his fifth wicket with five overs remaining in the day, removing Welch for 54 to leave Zimbabwe reeling.

However, tailender Blessing Muzarabani held firm with Tafadzwa Tsiga to survive the rest of the day.

Taijul finished with 5-60, while his spin partner Nayeem Hasan chipped in with two wickets.

Bangladesh made three changes, recalling Anamul Haque and Nayeem Hasan, and handing right-arm paceman Sakib his test debut.

Anamul's return came after four centuries in domestic cricket.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nahid Rana and Khaled Ahmed were dropped to make room for them.

Zimbabwe brought in debutant legspinner Vincent Masekesa and Tsiga, replacing Victor Nyauchi and Nyasha Mayavo.

BANGLADESH: Anamul Haque, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali (wk), Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nayeem Hasan, Tanzim Hasan.

ZIMBABWE: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzawa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Vincent Masekesa.

Blessing Muzarabani's nine-wicket match figures and determined batting helped Zimbabwe stun Bangladesh by three wickets in the first match of the two-test series in Sylhet on Wednesday.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz recorded his second five-wicket haul for the match but it was in vain as Zimbabwe's batsmen held their nerve to close out the match despite losing quick wickets.

Zimbabwe chased down their target of 174 by the third session of the fourth day with three wickets in hand, their first win against Bangladesh since 2018, and their first against any team in four years, to secure a 1-0 lead.

Zimbabwe hold their nerve to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in a nail-biting finish to the first Test in Sylhet! 🔥#BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/OHcagJJHow

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) April 23, 2025

Brian Bennett racked up his second fifty of the match to lead the chase on a surface that Bangladesh's bowlers failed to exploit early.

Bennett and his opening partner Ben Curran laid a solid foundation with a partnership of 95 runs before Curran fell to Mehidy while attempting to play him over long on.

Curran failed to gauge the spin and ended up sending a catch to the mid-off.

Mehidy quickly bagged four more wickets, sending tremors through the Zimbabwe camp, while Taijul Islam chipped in with another two.

But Wessly Madhevere (19 not out), Wellington Masakadza (12), and Richard Ngarava (4 not out) held their nerve to guide Zimbabwe home.

Player of the Match in the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet✅

Blessing Muzarabani for his bowling figures of 3/50 & 6/72#BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/ecb3NxM62n

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) April 23, 2025

Bangladesh posted 255 in the second innings, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali contributing with a fifty each.

But the failures of batsmen such as Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy prevented them from setting up a more challenging target.

The Sylhet pitch is known to assist the fast bowlers but, unlike Muzarabani, Bangladesh's pacemen failed to capitalise on the home conditions.

The onus fell on the spin duo of Mehidy and Taijul but their efforts weren't enough to make the required impact.

Zimbabwe earlier responded with 273 to Bangladesh’s first innings of 191, with Nahid Rana taking three wickets alongside Mehidy's five.

An 82-run first-innings lead put Zimbabwe in a commanding position and they went on to record a big win.

It was Zimbabwe's eighth win over Bangladesh in 19 tests, equalling Bangladesh's number of victories against them.

The second and final test is in Chattogram from 28 April.

Najmul Hossain Shanto's batting heroics on Tuesday pushed Bangladesh's second innings lead to 112 on the third day of the first test against Zimbabwe, with the home team on 194-4.

Bangladesh skipper Shanto, who scored 40 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 60 when bad light stopped play in Sylhet.

Stumps in Sylhet!

Bangladesh finish day three on 194/4, lead Zimbabwe by 112 runs in their second innings.#BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/QxSHCqfMjd

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) April 22, 2025

He was ably supported by Jaker Ali, who was unbeaten on 21, and the duo will be looking on day four to stretch their team's lead beyond 200 against an impressive Zimbabwe batting line-up.

The hosts ended the second day on a strong note after a disappointing first day, when Zimbabwe bowled them out for a modest 191.

An impressive spell by spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who took five wickets, helped Bangladesh restrict the visitors to 273 – a lead of only 82.

The entire morning session on the third day was washed out by rain, making only 44 overs possible through the day's play.

Bangladesh started the day at 57-1 and added 60 runs in a solid second-wicket stand between Mominul Haque (47) and opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy (33).

Zimbabwe speedster Blessing Muzarabani, who took three wickets in the first innings, added three more to his tally and closed the day at 3-51.

Muzarabani removed both Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam (4) and Joy. He also took the key wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim (4).

The right-armer was supported by Victor Nyauchi, who was the only other Zimbabwe bowler to take a wicket in Bangladesh's second innings.

Bangladesh have long been formidable on their slow and spin-friendly home pitches, but have several veterans missing this series.

They have won eight out of 18 tests against Zimbabwe – their highest total against any test side, including four of the past five.

The second and final test will be played in Chattogram from 28 April.

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BANGLADESH: 191 (Mominul Haque 56, Najmul Hossain Shanto 40; Blessing Muzarabani 3-50, Wellington Masakadza 3-21) and 194-4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 60 not out, Mominul Haque 47; Blessing Muzarabani 3-51)

ZIMBABWE: 273 (Brian Bennett 57, Sean Williams 59; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-52, Nahid Rana 3-74)

Bangladesh ended the second day of the first test against Zimbabwe on Monday trailing by only 25 runs after spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took five wickets to restrict the visitors to 273 in their first innings.

It was a comeback for Bangladesh after a disappointing first day when skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss in Sylhet and decided to bat first.

However, his batters failed to capitalise and were bowled out by an impressive Zimbabwe attack for a modest 191.

Zimbabwe then piled on the misery by racing to 67 for no loss by the end of play on the first day.

Starting from a commanding position, both Zimbabwe openers fell early on the second day to aggressive pace bowling by Nahid Rana.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz takes five, but Zimbabwe take a first-innings lead of 82https://t.co/rZ9aCI7UYu #BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/JG9TrfLkJC

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 21, 2025

Ben Curran was the first to go on 18 and his partner Brian Bennett, who hit an aggressive 64-ball 57, was removed soon after with the score on 88 for two.

Sean Williams (59) was the only other Zimbabwe batter to reach fifty.

Wessly Madhevere (24), Nyasha Mayavo (35) and Richard Ngarava (28) all failed to build bigger scores.

Offspinner Mehidy took the key wickets of Williams, Mayavo and Ngarava to finish with 5-52 on a wicket that was expected to help the pace bowlers.

Nahid took 3-74 with aggressive bowling in support of Mehidy.

Starting the second innings with an 82-run deficit, Bangladesh lost Shadman Islam on 4 to Blessing Muzarabani with the score on 13.

His opening partner, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, soldiered on to 28 in an unbeaten 44-run partnership with Mominul Haque, on 15, to end the day at 57 for one.

Shanto must now hope that they can make the most of the friendly home conditions to set an imposing target for the visitors.

Bangladesh have been formidable on the slow and spin-friendly home pitches but have several veterans missing.

They have won eight of the 18 tests against Zimbabwe, their highest total against any test side, including four of the past five.

The second and final test will be played in Chattogram from April 28.

Bangladesh bounce back to stay in the hunt against Zimbabwe at the end of Day 2 in Sylhet 👊#BANvZIM 📝: https://t.co/aGeVaX3gKO pic.twitter.com/XkrU6QWJOR

— ICC (@ICC) April 21, 2025

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BANGLADESH: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana

ZIMBABWE: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (capt), Wessly Madhevere, Nyasha Mayavo, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi

Zimbabwe finished the first day of the first Test in a commanding position at 67-0 after an inspired bowling performance dismissed Bangladesh for 191 runs on Sunday.

The visitors' opening pair of Brian Bennett, unbeaten on 40 off 37 balls, and Ben Curran (17) took the attack to Bangladesh's bowlers in the 14.1 overs they faced before bad light stopped play.

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 40, earlier won the toss and opted to bat first on a pace-friendly wicket.

But his batters failed to capitalise on the decision and none of them, including top-scorer Mominul Haque (56) or Jakir Ali, who made 28, were able to turn good starts into decent Test scores.

The Zimbabwe attack bowled aggressive and disciplined lines, with paceman Blessing Muzarabani and left-arm orthodox Wellington Masakadza both taking three wickets.

They were assisted by Victor Nyauchi and Wessley Madhevere, who shared the other four wickets.

Nyauchi set the tone for the visitors, sending back Bangladesh's openers early in the first session with only 32 runs on the board.

Shadman Islam was the first to fall for 12 in the ninth over, with Nyauchi also removing Mahmudul Hasan Joy (14) in his next over.

A third-wicket partnership of 66 runs between Haque and Shanto gave the home team's score some respectability.

Bangladesh's relatively inexperienced pace attack of Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana and Khalid Rana couldn't find their lines against Bennett, who hit six fours.

Trailing only by 124 runs, Zimbabwe have a rare opportunity to set a formidable first innings total with the pitch expected to be better for the batters on the second day.

Bangladesh are ranked ninth and Zimbabwe are at the bottom of the 12-team ICC Test rankings after a disappointing year and both teams are hoping for a better start to the long season ahead.

The hosts have been formidable on the slow and spin-friendly home pitches but have several veterans missing.

The second and final Test of the series will be played in Chattogram from April 28.

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BANGLADESH: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana

ZIMBABWE: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (capt), Wessly Madhevere, Nyasha Mayavo, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi

Pace sensation Nahid Rana will be in the spotlight when Bangladesh take on Zimbabwe in the first game of a two-match series between the evenly matched test rivals on Sunday.

Bangladesh are ranked ninth and Zimbabwe are at the bottom of the 12-team ICC test rankings after a disappointing year and both teams are hoping for a better start to the long season ahead.

The hosts have been formidable on the slow and spin-friendly home pitches but have several veterans missing.

The Sylhet wicket is expected to offer pace and bounce for the new ball bowlers and Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said he was excited about Nahid, who already has 20 wickets in six tests.

The 22-year-old regularly clocks over 140 kph and Shanto said "we just told him to bowl at this pace".

However, Bangladesh's top-order batting has been a cause of concern.

"We have to be consistent at the top order," Shanto told a news conference on the eve of the test.

"Last year, I played a few innings over 30 or 40 runs but failed to carry on. We are working hard to solve this batting problem."

Bangladesh have won eight of the 18 tests against Zimbabwe, their highest total against any test side, with four of them in their past five encounters.

Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine said he was not concerned about the past.

"I understand we haven't had a great run in test cricket," Ervine said.

"I think this is the first year in which we have a lot of test cricket lined up for us.

"I think it's really exciting with the amount of test cricket that we will play," he said.

Ervine said most of the players in his squad had no experience of playing in Bangladesh.

"It is a great opportunity for the young players to stamp their authority in test cricket," he said.

Bangladesh have only won five of their 13 tests in the past two years. Zimbabwe lost three of their four tests in the same period.

The second and final test of the series will be played in Chattogram from April 28.