(Reuters) – Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed eight second innings wickets to post the best figures by a Bangladesh bowler and set up a tense three-wicket win for the hosts in the first test against Zimbabwe in Dhaka yesterday.
Chasing 101 to win the opener of the three-match series, Bangladesh got off to a terrible start, losing their top three batsmen before they could put a run on the board.
Bangladesh would have struggled further had Zimbabwe held on to catches offered by Mahmudullah (28) and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (15) early on and the duo made the visitors pay by adding a crucial 46 runs for the fourth wicket.
Elton Chigumbura took four wickets as Bangladesh were reduced to 82-7, and it need a dogged eighth-wicket stand from captain Mushfiqur Rahim (23) and Taijul (15) to carry the team home in the final session of the third day.
Earlier, Zimbabwe, who made 240 in their first innings, were dismissed for 114 in the second after the 22-year-old Taijul, playing only his third test, took 8-39, to overtake Shakib’s feat of 7-36 against New Zealand in Chittagong in 2008.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor remained unbeaten on 45.
Left-arm spinner Shakib, who had taken six wickets in the first innings, added another in the second.
The second test is at Khulna from next Monday.
