Tajul Islam to Bangladesh’s rescue in three-wicket win over Zimbabwe

Sport360 staff 06:16 28/10/2014
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  • Simply superb: Taijul Islam (c) was declared the man of the match in only his third Test after picking up eight wickets and scoring crucial runs in the chase.

    Taijul Islam excelled with bat and ball as Bangladesh scored a tense three-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first Test yesterday to grab the lead in the three-match series.

    The 22 year old left-arm spinner became the first Bangladesh bowler to claim eight wickets in an innings, his figures of 8-39 helping to skittle Zimbabwe for 114 in the second innings.

    After setting a target of 101, Bangladesh slipped to 0-3 before Taijul, coming in at 82-7, guided his team home with an unbeaten 15 amid mounting tension on the third day at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka. Taijul, who put on an unbroken stand of 19 with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (23 not out), was named the man of the match in only his third Test appearance.

    It was Bangladesh’s fifth Test win in 86 matches and only the second at home after the 226-run win against the same opponents in Chittagong in 2005.

    The two lowest-ranked teams in Test cricket – Zimbabwe at number nine and Bangladesh at 10 – will resume battle when the second Test opens in Khulna on November 3.

    Taijul eclipsed team-mate Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladeshi record of 7-36 against New Zealand at Chittagong in 2008 as he spun out the Zimbabwe batsmen after the tourists resumed at 5-0.

    Skipper Brendan Taylor was the only Zimbabwean to resist Taijul and the other bowlers, making an unbeaten 45, as six batsmen failed to reach double figures.

    Shahadat Hossain and Shakib shared the other two wickets.

    Elton Chigumbura claimed 4-21 as Bangladesh almost ruined what should have been a simple chase even on the deteriorating pitch. Having lost the top three batsmen without a run on the board, the hosts buckled under pressure before Rahim and Taijul bailed them out.

    For captain Rahim, there are a lot of issues his team needs to work out. “We are not where we want to be but the boys played very well and a win is a win. There’s a lot of areas to improve on,” he said.

    The wicketkeeper was nonetheless proud of the performances of some of his players. “Taijul has been great for the last couple of matches, Shakib also bowled really well and Jubair (Hossain) too.”

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