Zimbabwe has defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in the Sylhet Test, marking their first Test victory against the Tigers in seven years. Their last Test win against Bangladesh was on November 3, 2018. Despite several encounters since then, the Zimbabwean side had struggled to perform at their best.
However, Sean Williams had stated before arriving in Bangladesh that they were well-prepared for a fight, and his teammates validated his words with their performance in both batting and bowling in Sylhet.
This victory gives Zimbabwe a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Blessing Muzarabani was the key architect of Zimbabwe's triumph, taking 3 wickets in the first innings and a sensational 6 wickets in the second innings. His fiery bowling performance derailed the Bangladeshi innings in both instances.
In the Sylhet Test, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, getting all out for 191 runs. Zimbabwe responded by scoring 273 runs before losing all their wickets, gaining an 82-run lead. In their second innings, Najmul Hossain Shanto's team was bowled out for 255 runs, setting a target of 173 runs for Zimbabwe. The visitors chased down the target, losing 7 wickets in the process.
Earlier, Bangladesh had a poor start to the fourth day of the Sylhet Test, losing 3 wickets in the first six overs. However, a fighting half-century from Zakir Ali helped the Tigers reach 255 runs in their second innings, setting a competitive target of 173 runs for the visitors.
The fourth day's play was scheduled to begin at 9:45 AM on Wednesday (April 23), but due to heavy overnight rain, the ground could not be prepared on time. Consequently, play commenced at 11:00 AM local time.
Bangladesh stumbled early on the fourth day, with Blessing Muzarabani dismissing Shanto on the second ball. Shanto scored 60 runs off 104 balls. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then joined Zakir Ali at the crease but couldn't make a significant contribution, becoming Muzarabani's fifth victim after scoring 11 runs off 16 balls. This left Bangladesh struggling at 211 for 6. Taijul Islam fell cheaply for just 1 run. However, Zakir held firm at the other end.
Zakir continued his controlled batting, reaching his half-century off 106 balls. Hasan Mahmud, who was supporting Zakir, was dismissed in the fourth ball of the 78th over, scoring 12 runs. Khaled Ahmed followed him back to the pavilion on the very next ball, getting out for a duck.
Despite wickets falling around him, Zakir kept fighting. However, his resistance didn't last long as he was caught out after scoring 58 runs off 111 balls. This brought an end to Bangladesh's second innings at 255, setting Zimbabwe a target of 173 runs.
Blessing Muzarabani was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe, taking a match-high 6 wickets in the second innings. Wellington Masakadza took two wickets, while Victor Nyauchi and Richard Ngarava claimed one wicket each.
Notably, this victory marks Zimbabwe's first win in the white-ball format after four years. Their last Test victory was against Afghanistan in March 2021.
