Mushfiqur Rahim fails again, Mominul Haque departs before fifty despite settling in, but Najmul Hossain Shanto keeps Bangladesh’s hopes alive with an unbeaten half-century.
Rain played spoilsport at the start of the day, and bad light brought an early end to the proceedings. Thanks to the whims of the unkind weather, more than half the day’s overs were lost. But in the time that play was possible, it was Najmul Hossain Shanto’s determined innings that kept Bangladesh in the contest.
In Test cricket, the third day usually sets the tone for the match. But in Sylhet, only 44 overs were bowled on the day. Bangladesh managed 137 runs for 3 wickets during that spell, powered by their captain’s fifty.
At stumps on Tuesday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh ended the day on 194 for 4. The hosts now lead Zimbabwe by 112 runs.
Apart from Shanto, none of the batters showed enough composure. Mahmudul Hasan Joy had an uneasy stay before heading back to the dressing room. Mominul Haque, despite nearing a fifty, also couldn’t find fluency. And once again, Mushfiqur Rahim left the fans disappointed.
After persistent rain overnight, light drizzle continued into the morning, washing out the entire first session. Play finally began almost three hours later than scheduled. From the outset, Joy looked uncomfortable against Blessing Muzarabani’s short-pitched bowling.
In the seventh over of the day, a well-directed bouncer aimed at his body proved too much for the 24-year-old opener. He edged it to the slip cordon after scoring 33 off 65 balls. This was his 17th consecutive innings without a fifty. In his last 10 innings, he’s been caught behind or in the slips nine times.
His dismissal broke a promising 60-run stand for the second wicket. Mominul and Shanto then added another fifty-plus partnership. The Bangladesh skipper looked fluent from the moment he arrived, but Mominul struggled with Victor Nyauchi’s swing bowling.
Shanto, meanwhile, struck back-to-back boundaries off Richard Ngarava. Possibly in response, the left-arm pacer bowled a bouncer that sailed well over the batter’s head and raced to the boundary. Shanto found another four on the next legal delivery, taking 18 runs off the over.
After a positive start, Shanto nearly threw it away when he poked at a delivery from Wesley Madhevere outside off-stump. But wicketkeeper Nyasha Mayavo spilled the chance, giving Shanto a life on 26.
Mayavo made no mistake when Mominul got a faint glove on a short ball from Nyauchi outside off. The keeper collected it cleanly. Mominul scored 47 off 84 balls with 6 boundaries.
Then came Mushfiq’s turn—and yet again, it was a short stay. He edged Muzarabani to the slips for just 4 runs, repeating his failure from the first innings.
Mushfiq has now failed to reach double digits in four consecutive Test innings, and in seven straight international innings. Since scoring 191 against Pakistan last year, the 37-year-old hasn’t crossed 40 in 12 innings. With just five matches to go before he becomes the first Bangladeshi to play 100 Tests, questions are now being raised about his place in the team given his age and current form.
Shanto and Zakir Ali ensured no more damage was done for the rest of the day. Shanto reached his fifth Test fifty off 84 balls, hitting 7 boundaries. Zakir looked shaky, surviving multiple edges that narrowly missed fielders.
At stumps, Zakir was unbeaten on 21 off 60 balls, while Shanto remained not out on 60 off 103. Play on Day 4 will start 15 minutes earlier, at 9:45 am local time.
Day 3 Summary
Bangladesh 1st Innings: 191
Zimbabwe 1st Innings: 273
Bangladesh 2nd Innings
- From 57/1 To 194/4 in 57 overs (Joy 33, Mominul 47, Shanto 60, Mushfiq 4, Zakir 21*; Nyauchi 13-4-28-1, Muzarabani 15-5-51-3, Ngarava 13-0-55-0, Madhevere 8-1-32-0, Masakadza 8-3-13-0)*
