Zimbabwe upset Bangladesh by three wickets in the first Test of the two-match series on April 23. This win marked Zimbabwe's first away Test victory in in seven-long years. Craig Ervine-led side gunned down Bangladesh to stamp their authority in the ongoing Test series, achieving only their fourth away win in the longest format. Remarkably, their previous away Test win also occurred against Bangladesh in 2018. This win marked Zimbabwe's third away win in Test history and their fourth overall, with the other memorable win dating back to 1998 against Pakistan.
Zimbabwe shock Bangladesh in first Test
Despite a valiant effort from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who clocked his second five-wicket haul of the match, it ultimately proved insufficient as Zimbabwe's batsmen displayed remarkable composure to secure victory despite a flurry of wickets falling.
Zimbabwe successfully chased down their target of 174 runs by the third session of the fourth day, overhauling the target with three wickets to spare. This is Zimbabwe's first win against Bangladesh since 2018 and their first over any opponent in four years, granting them a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brian Bennett played a pivotal role in the chase, notching up his second half-century of the match on a pitch that Bangladesh's bowling attack struggled to capitalize on early in the innings. Bennett, alongside his opening partner Ben Curran, established a strong platform with a 95-run partnership before Curran's dismissal at the hands of Mehidy while attempting a shot over long-on. Curran misjudged the spin, resulting in a catch for the fielder at mid-off.
Mehidy swiftly followed up with four more crucial wickets, sending ripples of anxiety through the Zimbabwe camp, while Taijul Islam contributed with an additional two dismissals. However, the resilience of Wessly Madhevere, who remained unbeaten on 19, along with valuable contributions from Wellington Masakadza (12) and Richard Ngarava (4 not out), ultimately steered Zimbabwe to a memorable victory.
In their second innings, Bangladesh managed to score 255 runs, with significant contributions from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and wicket-keeper-batter Jaker Ali, both of whom scored half-centuries.
However, the inability of key batsmen such as Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to score substantial runs prevented Bangladesh from establishing a more formidable target for the opposition.
The pitch in Sylhet is typically known to favor fast bowlers, but in contrast to Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani, who took a match-winning 6/72 in the second innings and 3/50 in the first, Bangladesh's pace attack was unable to effectively exploit the home conditions to their advantage.
Consequently, the responsibility to take wickets largely fell on the spin bowling duo of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. Despite their efforts, their combined performance was not sufficient to create the necessary impact to secure a victory for Bangladesh. Earlier, Zimbabwe responded to Bangladesh's first innings total of 191 with a score of 273. In that innings, Nahid Rana was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers, taking three wickets, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz also contributed with a five-wicket haul.
Meanwhile, the second Test of the two-match series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will be played from April 28 to May 2 in Chattogram.