HARARE: Zimbabwe was 158-4 and 233 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings score of 391 at stumps on day two of the second Test at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Bangladesh dismissed Brendan Taylor for 36 late in the final session for an important breakthrough after the Zimbabwe skipper made two centuries in his team’s strong win in the first Test.
Zimbabwe was 34 short of the follow-on by the end of play, with Malcolm Waller 30 not out and Elton Chigumbura unbeaten after a rapid 45 off 49 balls with five fours.
The tourists have still fought back strongly over the first two days of the final Test after a heavy 335-run defeat last weekend.
After posting a good total, Bangladesh removed Zimbabwe openers Regis Chakabva and Vusi Sibanda inside 13 overs and Taylor holed out to midwicket off Sohag Gazi after a typically watchful 104-ball innings.
Bangladesh earlier added 91 to its overnight score, with Nasir Hossain eventually out for 77. He was helped by lower-order contributions from Sohag Gazi, who made 21, and No. 11 Robiul Islam, who was 24 not out.
Hossain and Gazi put on 51 for the eighth wicket to push Bangladesh close to 400 after earlier half-centuries by Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim on Thursday. Hossain clattered 11 boundaries in a belligerent 77 from 103 balls before leg spinner Graeme Cremer bowled him round his legs. Cremer (2-109) and Keegan Meth, with 2-41, backed up seamer Chigumbura’s 3-75 but Bangladesh put itself in position to level the short series between the two lowest-ranked teams in Test cricket after the Zimbabweans put the visitors in to bat.
Zimbabwe’s reply was shaky as Chakabva and Sibanda edged behind to wicketkeeper Rahim off Robiul Islam to depart within three runs of each other. Hamilton Masakadza was bowled by spinner Shakib for 14 and Zimbabwe was 45-3.
Taylor temporarily steadied Zimbabwe, but he suddenly hit out at Gazi and was caught by Shakib in the deep. Chigumbura responded by racing to 45 and Waller dug in alongside him to take the home team to stumps.
Pak to send vigilance officer
Meanwhile the Pakistan Cricket Board will send a vigilance officer with the team for this year’s Champions Trophy in England in a bid to avoid a repeat of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf said yesterday that steps were being taken to ensure the image of Pakistan cricket did not suffer again as it did when the spot-fixing scandal broke on Pakistan’s tour of England three years ago.
“What we are going to do is send a vigilance officer with the security manager that usually goes with the team. We are also going to have the players bound to a special code of conduct for the tour,” Ashraf said.
Pakistan go to Scotland and Ireland for a series of one-dayers in May and then to England for the first time since former captain Salman Butt and team mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned over spot-fixing during the fourth test against at Lord’s in 2010.
The trio were jailed by a crown court in London in late 2011 and have now returned to Pakistan after serving their sentences.
“What mistakes we committed last time we will not repeat them. We have to consider Pakistan’s prestige and respect,” Ashraf said.
Ashraf said he would personally be briefing the players on what was expected of them on the tour.
“We don’t want any unwelcome people around the team or the players being trapped into another scandal,” he said.
A fourth Pakistani player, Danish Kaneria, who appealed against a life ban imposed on him by the England and Wales Cricket Board for corruption and fixing last year, will learn the outcome of his appeal yesterday.
