Bangladesh vs. Zimbabwe: Top Performers from Day 2 of Second Test
Zimbabwe scored 53/1 after Bangladesh made 433 on the second day of the second Test of Zimbabwe's tour of the nation, and the hosts have positioned themselves to grab their second win in the series as we head into Day 3.
Building off an excellent first day, Bangladesh's batsmen stepped up on Tuesday, with two centuries scored late in their innings against a tired group of bowlers who got nothing from the pitch in Khulna.
Zimbabwe found some success limiting the hosts on Day 1, but with Bangladesh's dangerous army of spinners ready to feast on the team's batsmen, the big haul the visitors surrendered on Day 2 may have decided this series already. Here are Tuesday's top performers.
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All statistics are courtesy of ESPNCricinfo.
Shakib Al Hasan (137 from 180 balls)
Anytime you score your first Test century since 2011, you're going to be among the day's top performers. Aided by Tamim Iqbal's lofty total, Shakib Al Hasan was aggressive with the bat from the very first delivery, ending with an impressive 137 from 180.
As shared by Cricketcoach app, it was his third career Test century:
The all-rounder joined an exclusive club with his third ton and 10+ five-wicket hauls, via cricket-statistician Mohandas Menon:
Shakib may have struggled against some of the top nations in the longer format in the past, but on Tuesday, his performance was excellent. Hitting the 100-mark just before drinks, his aggressive batting was at the base of Bangladesh's 26 in the next three overs, putting some real distance between themselves and the visitors.
Malcolm Waller eventually took his wicket, as Shakib played a straight delivery too aggressively. Even Waller's maiden Test wicket couldn't gift momentum back to Zimbabwe. Taijul Islam and Shahadat Hossain came up with an important 43-run partnership during an eighth-wicket stand, adding insult to injury.
Tamim Iqbal (109 from 332)
If Shakib's ton was all about aggression and flamboyance, Tamim's was the complete opposite—slow, patient and agonisingly frustrating to go up against as a bowler.
Tamim faced 332 deliveries before getting caught by Craig Ervine just before lunch, and Bangladesh couldn't have asked for any more from their opening batsman.
The 25-year-old took little risks on the slow pitch in Khulna, and by batting throughout most of the morning, he contributed tremendously to Zimbabwe's struggles with the ball. The bowlers then grew increasingly frustrated with their inability to dismiss him.
If Bangladesh go on to win this Test (and it sure looks like they will), Tamim's contributions simply can't be overlooked.
Taijul Islam (eight overs, 21 runs, one wicket, 2.62 economy and 32 runs from 44 balls)
Zimbabwe's spinners didn't find much success on Tuesday, but the hosts decided to use the same approach to very different results. Taijul was voted Man of the Match in the first Test, and he opened his account in the second emphatically by dismissing Sikander Raza in the sixth over.
The early strike was a big mental blow for Zimbabwe, and while the rest of the batsmen recovered to close the day in strong fashion, there's little doubt Taijul's brilliance with the ball on a slow pitch will be in the batsmen's minds going into Wednesday.
His stand at the end of Bangladesh's innings with Shahadat was just as impressive and further demoralised Zimbabwe, who now face a daunting target. The visitors have scored 400 just once in the past decade, according to the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports).
Brian Chari and Hamilton Masakadza will be batting for Zimbabwe when the action resumes on Wednesday.
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