BAN vs ZIM 2025 2nd Test Day 1 Review: Williams, Welch Fifties and Taijul Islam's Fifer in Thrilling Encounter

At the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram, the home team has dominated the first hour and a half of the second Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, displacing the visitors. The Zimbabwean batsmen dominated the first two sessions, with the openers putting up a respectable opening stand before being removed. Ultimately, the visitors maintained control at Tea with a total of 161/2 due to the hits from Nick Welch (54 off 133) and Sean Williams (67 off 166).

The day belonged to Bangladesh as they attempted to draw the two-match series after losing the first game, despite fifties from Nick Welch and Sean Williams for the visitors. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Zimbabwe got off to a respectable start, but they quickly lost both of their openers. The first breakthrough came from debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who caught Brian Bennett off guard from an outside edge. When the opener sliced one onto his stumps for 21 off 50 balls, Taijul hit with the second delivery of his spell, dismissing Ben Curran.

Bangladesh Vs Zimbabwe Highlights:

The game, however, drastically changed in the last session when the Bangladeshi spinners began to take wickets at regular intervals and wreaked havoc. With wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga and Blessing Muzarabani at the crease, Zimbabwe is currently on a score of 227-9 at the end of Day 1. They will continue the innings tomorrow.

The Bangla Tigers had already lost by a slim margin in the first Test, so this is a crucial match for them. After the first two sessions, the Chevrons were strong, and the hosts required a unique strategy to get back into the game. It came from teenage off-spinner Nayeem Hasan and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam.

Although Taijul had one of the best bowling performances of the day, finishing with a remarkable 5/60 in 27 overs, Nayeem Hasan's contribution was equally significant as he took vital wickets of Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, which ultimately caused the innings, which had looked promising at one point, to collapse. In a game that must be won, the two made significant breakthroughs and controlled the scoring.

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