Bangladesh batted throughout the first day of their warm-up match against Zimbabwe A at Bulawayo Athletic Club to score 289 for eight.

Four of their leading players scored fifties to give them confidence before their first overseas Test, while Brighton Watambwa strengthened his claims for a Test place with four good wickets. A crowd of approaching 100 were very patient in enduring the pathetic over rate of the home side who seemed determined to ensure that Friday's play did not end before Saturday's was due to start.

Bulawayo was back to more typical April weather, the sun burning down from a cloudless sky, as Zimbabwe A won the toss and put Bangladesh in to bat, a decision they were to regret. Watambwa and Mluleki Nkala opened the bowling with several good overs while there was some life in the pitch, and Watambwa took the wicket of Javed Omar, lbw for eight.

David Mutendera enjoyed an exciting first over, when every other ball flew into or through the slips without anybody actually taking a catch. Otherwise Mehrab Hossain and Habibul Bashar kept the score moving comfortably at about four an over, and Henry Olonga did not look dangerous enough to suggest a Test return was imminent.

With little help from the pitch now, the four-man international pace attack was looking rather innocuous. The home side's frustration was evident from the number of obscenities floating loud and clear across the boundary.

Both batsmen reached impressive fifties, with Habibul finally going after lunch for 66, slashing at Watambwa and edging a catch to the keeper. Aminul Islam fell in similar fashion for six. Mutendera returned to bowl Mehrab (76) off the inside edge, and Watambwa in an impressive spell had Naimur Rahman (0) caught in the slips. Four wickets had fallen for 25 runs.

It was now a completely different ball game as the batsmen struggled for survival against the Zimbabwe A pace battery, who maintained their funereal over rate with real dedication; by tea only 60 overs had been bowled of the supposed minimum of 105.

Akram Khan and Khaled Masud played and missed frequently, but survived, and Akram punished Paul Strang with some powerful straight hits. They added 96 together until Nkala won an lbw appeal against Akram for 55.

Khaled soon followed with a fifty that must have encouraged him after his failures with the bat in the one-Day Internationals, while Olonga finally picked up wickets when he had Enamul Hoque (6) caught off a full toss and then trapped Hasibul Hossain lbw first ball.

At the end of the over bad light was declared, six minutes after time and 12 overs short of the daily minimum. Khaled was unbeaten on 55.

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