Bangladesh make hopeful start after conceding lead

Bangladesh make hopeful start after conceding lead

Bangladesh have made a hopeful start to their second essay in the opening Test against Zimbabwe after conceding the first innings lead on Day 2.

Zimbabwe gained the upper hand on the opening day after bowling the hosts out for 191, managing to go past Bangladesh's total on the second day.

Brian Bennett looked in great touch, bringing up his first Test fifty, despite Ben Curran's dismissal at the other end. His boundary-laden innings was cut short when Nahid Rana bagged his second wicket. Zimbabwe were then jolted again as Hasan Mahmud breached Nick Welch's defence.

The experienced duo of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine navigated a tricky period of play before Rana removed the skipper. Williams hit a fighting half-century, with useful contributions from Wessly Madhevere, Nyasha Mayavo and Richard Ngarava. Mehidy Hasan ran through the tail to end up with a five-fer.

Zimbabwe made a positive start with the ball, with Blessing Muzarabani drawing Shadman Islam forward to find the outside edge. The same bowler found Mahmudul Hasan Joy's edge, but the keeper missed a sitter. Joy capitalised, adding crucial boundaries to eat into the deficit. Mominul Haque remained firm at the other end, helping Bangladesh finish on a positive note, trailing by only 25 runs.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 191 & 57/1 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 28*) trail Zimbabwe 282 (Sean Williams 59, Brian Bennett 57; Mehidy Hasan 5/52) by 25 runs