Taylor stitches huge total

Zimbabwe need seven Bangladesh wickets on final day of one-off Test.

HARARE:

Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor scored an unbeaten 105 before Bangladesh were restricted to 112 for three at the Harare Sports Club, still needing another 263 runs to win the one-off Test match.

Taylor declared his team’s second innings on 291 for five – after resuming at 92 for four – for an overall lead of 374 which left the tourists to face 30 overs on the fourth day.

Bangladesh’s openers Imrul Kayes (31) and Tamim Iqbal (43) put on 64 for the first wicket. But Tamim was dismissed by Chris Mpofu before Kayes was caught off seamer Kyle Jarvis with the total on 87.

Shahriar Nafees, who made 50 in the first-innings, was the third man out, bowled by Jarvis with the total on 102.

However, the experienced pair of Mohammad Ashraful, who scored 73 in the first-innings, and Mushfiqur Rahim steadied the ship as Bangladesh suffered no further alarms.

The Test, Zimbabwe’s first after a six-year, self-imposed exile, had swung decisively in their favour due to some dedicated and well-planned batting by Taylor, Taibu (59) and debutant Craig Ervine (35 not out) with the captain hitting his first ton in 11 Tests.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2011.