Zimbabwe in Bangladesh, 2 Test Series, 2025 |2nd Test |4/28/2025 Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Commentary
In Sylhet, on a lively wicket that suited their pacers, Zimbabwe made the most of the conditions and secured their first Test win since 2021. Then, in Chattogram, Bangladesh played to their strengths, with their spinners leading the charge. As a result, the series ends in a 1-1 draw, and the trophy will be shared. Craig Ervine and Najmul Hossain Shanto pose for the photographs, and soon after, players from both sides gather for the customary photoshoot. Up next for Zimbabwe is a one-off Test in England, starting on May 22nd, while Bangladesh will travel to Pakistan for a five-match T20I series, with the first match on May 25th. We look forward to your company for those fixtures. It's goodbye for now!
The captain of Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, says it was a brilliant performance, and the whole team did a great job. Adds that they need to put in the good work consistently. Mentions that in the first Test, they didn't play good cricket, but we knew we could play better in this one. Mentions that they have struggled with their opening stands in the recent past, but he is really happy with the way Shadman Islam and Anamul Haque batted in this game.
The captain of Zimbabwe, Craig Ervine, says that in the first innings, they knew that the wicket was good for batting and they were expected to put up a significant total. Mentions that they did a lot of things right, with a special effort from Vincent Masekesa, but the concern remained with players getting starts, but they couldn't make them count. States that the spinners of Bangladesh were consistent and didn’t give away easy runs. Shares that they will take a lot of learnings from this series, as it's always good to learn while playing. With tough tests ahead, Ervine hopes this series marks the beginning of a strong winter for them.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH as well as the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his outstanding all-round performance. In this Test, he rescued his side with a brilliant 104-run knock and followed it up with a superb five-wicket haul in the second innings to lead Bangladesh to victory. He says he is feeling good. He mentions that when they lost the first match lost they were itching to get back on the field and deliver a win here. Adds that the boys were pumped up to win this game and in this game, he believes they played as a team. Appreciates the bowlers who held the other end and helped him complete his hundred. Mentions that there are a lot of senior players like Mushfiqur Rahim and Taijul Islam and they have a lot of experience and they always share their experience. States that whenever they play as a team, they always do well.
Earlier in the Test, after opting to bat first, Zimbabwe's batters got starts but failed to capitalize. From a promising position of 177/2, the tourists crumbled to 227, losing 8 wickets for just 50 runs. Taijul Islam led the charge for Bangladesh with a brilliant six-wicket haul. Bangladesh then capitalised on a solid start, with Shadman Islam's century helping lay the foundation. There was a slight stutter during the third session of Day 2 as Vincent Masekesa triggered a mini-collapse, which gave Zimbabwe hope heading into Day 3
Bangladesh began Day 3 with a 64-run lead and just three wickets in hand, with all hopes resting on Mehidy Hasan Miraz. And Mehidy delivered when it mattered most, rallying with the tail to extend the lead. Crucial stands with Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Hasan Mahmud on his way to a brilliant century helped Bangladesh post a 217-run lead. For Zimbabwe, the debutant leggie, Vincent Masekesa stood out with a fine five-wicket haul, but lacked support from the rest of the bowling unit. A handful of missed chances in the field further dented their efforts. In response, the tourists were rocked early, but Ben Curran and Craig Ervine showed resilience and stitched a steady stand. However, once Ervine lost patience and fell, the floodgates opened, allowing Bangladesh to tighten their spin stranglehold and seal the win.
An emphatic win for Bangladesh as they end the series on level terms. After the setback in Sylhet, they responded strongly in Chattogram, riding on a superb all-round performance from Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Zimbabwe won the toss, but they failed to make the most of the conditions and were left playing catch-up for the rest of the Test. They had their moments in the game, but the spin challenge proved too tough to handle.
46.2
W
Taijul Islam to Vincent Masekesa, OUT! RUN OUT! All over for Zimbabwe! Pushed through from around the wicket by Taijul Islam, this keeps a bit low, on middle, Vincent Masekesa gets back and stabs it out to the right of mid-wicket. He gets called through for a quick single by Blessing Muzarabani. Mominul Haque gets to the ball quickly at mid-wicket and fires in a throw at the bowling end. He scores a direct hit and the third umpire is called into action. The replays show that Vincent had his bat on the line and no part of it was behind the crease when the stumps lit up. Bangladesh register a win by an innings and 106 runs!
A direct hit at the bowling end and it has been referred upstairs. Bangladesh do not look that excited. Oh, hang on, the replays are in and they show that Vincent Masekesa had no part of his bat behind the crease and his bat was on the line.
46.1
0
Taijul Islam to Vincent Masekesa, Tosses it up, full and on off, Vincent Masekesa guides it to backward point.
END OF OVER 46 | 6 Runs & 0 Wkt | ZIM 111/9
45.6
6
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, SIX! Clean strike! Loopy delivery, right in the slot, on off, Blessing Muzarabani winds up and clobbers it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie.
45.5
0
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, Full and around off, Blessing Muzarabani blocks it out well.
45.4
0
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, Pushed through, full and at the stumps, Blessing Muzarabani dabs it down.
45.3
0
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, Full and at the stumps, Blessing Muzarabani gets behind the line to keep it out.
45.2
0
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, More air on this one, on a length, Blessing Muzarabani gets on the front foot to keep it out.
45.1
0
Mehidy Hasan Miraz to Blessing Muzarabani, Floated up, full and on off, Blessing Muzarabani defends it off the front foot.
END OF OVER 45 | 1 Runs & 0 Wkt | ZIM 105/9
44.6
0
Taijul Islam to Vincent Masekesa, Again beaten! Slower through the air, turning away, Vincent Masekesa looks to play it into the leg side as he closes the bat face and the ball goes past his outside edge.
44.5
0
Taijul Islam to Vincent Masekesa, Flatter quicker and outside off, Vincent Masekesa pokes at it as he gets beaten on the outside edge.
44.4
1
Taijul Islam to Blessing Muzarabani, Full on middle, Blessing Muzarabani flicks it to the right of short square leg for a single.
44.3
0
Taijul Islam to Blessing Muzarabani, Tossed up, outside off, Blessing Muzarabani leaves it alone.
44.2
0
Taijul Islam to Blessing Muzarabani, Shorter on middle, Blessing Muzarabani blocks it solidly off the front foot.
44.1
0
Taijul Islam to Blessing Muzarabani, Full on off, Blessing Muzarabani pushes it to mid off.