HARARE, 21 February 2004 — Zimbabwe labored through almost five sessions of the first cricket Test against Bangladesh here yesterday to score 441 all out in their first innings on this second day.

In reply, before bad light stopped play, Bangladesh lost a wicket and will resume today on 14-1, a deficit of 427 runs with nine wickets standing.

It was a tedious batting performance by Zimbabwe, making hard work of scoring against a determined but uninspiring Bangladesh attack, except Mohammad Rafique, who took 4-121 in 57 accurate overs.

Tapash Baisya and Hannan Rahman managed to get three each, but more by persistence than penetration. The Zimbabwe innings was based on five half-centuries and three century partnerships.

Dion Ebrahim made 65, Stuart Carlisle 58, Tatenda Taibu 59, Sean Ervine 86 and Heath Streak 68. None went on to a really significant score, but the effect was to shut Bangladesh out of the match.

The century partnerships were by Ebrahim and Carlisle, Taibu and Ervine, Streak and Gavin Ewing.

Zimbabwe appeared to have more respect than was necessary for a Bangladesh team that was tidy in both bowling and fielding but did not give any real sign of menace.

The home team lost opener Trevor Gripper for a duck in the second over of the match and there were several interruptions for rain and bad light, both factors hampering their momentum.

But they did deprive themselves of an early declaration and the chance of placing the tourists under greater pressure.

It was Ervine who seemed most likely to go on. At the lunch break he had reached 83 and must have contemplated a century during the break.

But he scored only three in the half-hour afterward and was neatly taken at slip off Tapash Baisya after adding only three more runs.

It was a satisfactory but not a stimulating innings as far as Zimbabwe is concerned. With the weather unsettled, they might need the best part of the three days remaining to get Bangladesh out twice and go one up in the two-Test series.

The loss of Hannan Sarkar in fading light just before the close was a big loss for Bangladesh and Habibul Bashar’s men now have a job on their hands to save the match.

India Tour of Pakistan Delayed by a Week - BCCI

India’s first Test tour of Pakistan for 14 years will be delayed by a week due to logistical problems, including security. “The tour will be delayed by about a week,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters in Calcutta yesterday.

“It shouldn’t start later than the second week of March but the team won’t be able to go earlier because we are trying to fully cover all points, security as well,” he said. Dalmiya said a final schedule would be announced today. A BCCI security team, which visited Pakistan under guard last week to assess the situation, was reported to have expressed concerns over Karachi and Peshawar as Test venues.

The tour, India’s first to Pakistan since 1989-90, will consist of three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. The Indian government banned all bilateral cricket against Pakistan three years ago due to political tensions over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. But last week it confirmed that its team would go to Pakistan next month in one of the most concrete signs that the neighbors were getting closer after almost going to war in 2002.