Taylor heroics not enough to save Zimbabwe

Dhaka – Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor (right) fought valiantly with his second century of the Test but Bangladesh won the final match by 218 runs to end the series at 1-1 on Thursday.

Needing a mammoth 443 to win, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 224 in the second session on the fifth day in Dhaka with Taylor remaining unbeaten on 106.

Taylor’s knock of patience and controlled aggression came from 167 balls and featured 10 fours. He had hit 110 in Zimbabwe’s first innings of 304.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan was the wrecker-in-chief on the final day as he returned bowling figures of 5/38 – his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests.

Mehidy denied Zimbabwe any chance of repeating their clinical performance of the first match which they won by 151 runs in Sylhet.

Taijul Islam added two more wickets to his five in the first innings and finished the series with a career-best haul of 18 scalps in two matches. He was named the Player of the Series.

The home side declared the first innings on 522/7 with Mushfiqur Rahim hitting an unbeaten 219 – the first time a wicketkeeper has hit two double tons in Test cricket.

The visitors’ hopes of securing a draw rested on Taylor and Peter Moor, whose 139-run sixth-wicket stand in the first innings took the visitors past the 300 mark.

But once Moor departed after a 79-ball vigil for a paltry 13 runs, smartly caught at short leg by Imrul off Mehidy, the Zimbabwe batting subsided.

Mahmudullah Riyad, who stood in for regular captain Shakib al Hasan, hailed his team’s fighting spirit.

“The boys were determined enough and showed their character. They stuck to their task. We are working hard and you may not see the results on the pitch yet,” he said.

”With Mushy (Mushfiqur) and Mominul (Haque), we built up the partnership, and they gave us some good runs in the first innings. Taijul was brilliant with the ball,” Mahmudullah added.

Mominul Haque made 161 in the first innings.

Bangladesh next play a twoTest series at home against the West Indies. The first Test begins in Chittagong on November 22 and the second Test starts in Dhaka on December 30. –