HARARE, 24 February 2004 — Spinner Ray Price took four wickets as Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 183 runs in the first Test at Harare Sports Club yesterday to record their first win for more than two years.
The left-armer finished with four for 61 as the visitors were skittled for 169 in their second innings. Bangladesh, who made 331 in the first innings, have lost a record 21 tests in a row, while it was Zimbabwe’s first victory in 14 games. Their last success came against the same opponents in November 2001 in Chittagong.
Former captain Khaled Mashud, batting at eight, top-scored for Bangladesh with a fighting 61, his highest Test score which included nine fours and a six. The visitors had resumed on 25 for five — they had been 14 for five at one stage on Sunday after a hat trick from fast bowler Andy Blignaut — and Rajin Saleh and debutant Manjural Islam Rana batted sensibly to put on 67.
But Saleh then tried to heave left-arm spinner Price over mid-wicket and was easily stumped by wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu for 47. Price struck again when Islam Rana top-edged a sweep to Trevor Gripper at square leg to depart for 31.
Lunch was taken when Tapash Baisya, on two, edged Price on to his pad and into the hands of Gavin Ewing at silly mid-off. Price had taken three for 39 from 13.1 overs in the morning.
The ninth wicket fell in the third over after lunch when Mohammad Rafique smashed a return catch to Ewing, giving the off spinner his first Test wicket. And No. 11 Manjural Islam and Mashud put on 46 in a last-wicket stand before Mashud was stumped off Price. Fast bowlers Heath Streak (back spasm) and Blignaut (thigh injury) did not bowl yesterday. The second and final Test begins on Thursday in Bulawayo.
Blignaut, meanwhile, was ruled out of the second Test. “Blignaut has quite a serious problem with his quadricep, and is out of the second test,” Zimbabwe team manager Babu Memen said.
Fit-Again Jones Added to England Test Squad
Fast bowler Simon Jones has been added to England’s 15-man Test squad for the tour to West Indies, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced yesterday.
The 25-year-old Glamorgan bowler, on tour in India with England A after being sidelined for nearly 15 months with a ruptured cruciate knee ligament, will join the rest of the squad in Jamaica. England are due to arrive in the Caribbean on Wednesday for a four-Test series in March.
“Simon is now fully recovered from injury and Rod Marsh (director of the English Cricket Academy) has been pleased with his progress on the ‘A’ squad’s tour of India,” chairman of selectors David Graveney said in a statement. Jones took a 10-wicket haul in his first significant comeback game against Tamil Nadu last week.
England squad — Michael Vaughan (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Paul Collingwood, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Flintoff, Rikki Clarke, Chris Read, Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty, James Anderson, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones.
