Close Zimbabwe 348 for 7 (Wishart 94, Marillier 73, Streak 57*) lead Bangladesh (107) by 241 runs
Scorecard

A sixth-wicket partnership of 137 between Craig Wishart and Doug Marillier - and a late flurry from Heath Streak - rescued Zimbabwe from the depths of 89 for 5 as Bangladesh threatened to fight back in the first Test at Dhaka.

Resuming this morning on 20 for 2 in reply to Bangladesh's feeble 107, the Zims were soon in trouble when Grant Flower edged debutant Masrafee Murtoza to Al-Sahariar at first slip for 10. It was Murtoza's first Test wicket and Zimbabwe were 31 for 3.

Murtoza struck again when Stuart Carlisle was caught behind for 33 (60 for 4), and the game was almost in the balance when Bangladesh removed Zimbabwe's lynchpin and star batsman, Andy Flower, for 28. Flower got an inside edge as he tried to drive the left-arm spin of Enamul Haque and was bowled. At 89 for 5, Zimbabwe still trailed Bangladesh by 18.

But Wishart and Marillier launched a counterattack to swing the balance Zimbabwe's way. Circumspect at first, they settled in against bowling that gradually lost its discipline, and Wishart was just six runs away from a maiden Test century when Marillier failed to respond to his call for a single and Wishart couldn't regain his ground in time. At least Wishart's 94 was a Test best, beating the 93 he made against West Indies at Harare in July.

That made it 226 for 6, and it was soon 259 for 7 when Marillier fell lbw to Haque for 73 in just his second Test innings. If Bangladesh sensed a glimmer of hope, it was now taken away from them by Heath Streak (57*) and Travis Friend (38*), who added an unbroken 89 for the eighth wicket before the close.

Things were starting to look grim again for the Banglas.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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