Right then, what a cracking Test match we witnessed! It was a contest dominated by Zimbabwe for the most part, though Bangladesh did stage a spirited late comeback, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Zimbabwe held their nerve to seal their first Test win since 2021, a result that will be cherished for years to come. The action now shifts to Chattogram for the second and final Test, which begins on Monday, 28th April, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The first ball will be bowled at 4 am GMT, and as always, we will be here early with all the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Blessing Muzarabani is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his outstanding bowling performance, taking 6 wickets in the second innings and 3 wickets in the first innings. He also played a handy role with the bat with a 17-run cameo that added valuable runs to Zimbabwe’s total in the first innings.

On Day 1, Bangladesh, after opting to bat, could only manage 191, with batters getting starts but failing to convert them. They were well-placed at 98/2, but once the partnership between Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto was broken, they collapsed. In reply, Zimbabwe built a valuable 82-run first-innings lead, thanks to fifties from Brian Bennett and Sean Williams, along with vital contributions from the tail. In their second innings, Bangladesh once again saw batters getting starts but failing to convert, with hopes resting on their skipper heading into Day 4.

Earlier on Day 4, Bangladesh began the day with a lead of 112, but could only manage to add 61 more runs before being bowled out. Najmul Hossain Shanto fell on the second ball of the day, and from there, Zimbabwe seized control. Hasan Mahmud and Jaker Ali showed stiff resistance, but not for long, as the hosts folded for 255, leaving Zimbabwe with a target of 174 to chase. Blessing Muzarabani was the standout for Zimbabwe, claiming 6 wickets in the second innings to finish with a match tally of 9 wickets. For Bangladesh, Mehidy Hasan Miraz impressed with twin five-wicket hauls, but it came in a losing cause.

Brian Bennett and Ben Curran set Zimbabwe on their way in their pursuit of 174 runs with a 95-run opening stand. The tourists were absolutely coasting when the two openers were batting and looked in control. Zimbabwe lost a couple of wickets going into the Tea break, but still had 8 wickets in hand and only needed 57 more runs. However, a rush of blood led to Brian gifting his wicket away, and from there, the rest of the batting lineup wilted under pressure from the spin duo of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. Wessly Madhevere then played a key role in calming the nerves. Even though Wellington Masakadza could not see the game through, Wessly took it upon himself to guide Zimbabwe home.

A famous win for Zimbabwe! They made it harder for themselves than it should have been, but in the end, they held their nerve to pull off their highest successful chase in Test cricket. Bangladesh fought hard till the very end but just did not have enough runs to defend. They will take heart from the fact that they didn’t drop their shoulders after the kind of opening stand the tourists had in the chase.

Richard Ngarava walks out to bat.

The light meter is out but we are good to continue.