sports
Racist abuse targets 3 English players who missed penalties
Three players who missed penalty kicks for England in the decisive European Championship shootout against Italy on Sunday night were subjected to racist abuse online, prompting the English Football Association to issue a statement condemning the language used against the players.
Bukayo Saka, at 19 one of the youngest players on the England squad, missed the penalty that gave the title to Italy and denied England its first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
Read: Italy wins Euro 2020, beats England in penalty shootout
It was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also missing.
The FA said in a statement it was “appalled” by the abuse of the three players. The team had taken a knee before games at the Euros to signal its support for an end to racial inequality, and the young, multi-ethnic squad won the hearts of the soccer-mad country before the shootout failure brought out all-too-familiar messages of hate.
“We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible,” the FA statement said. “We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real-life consequences.”
London’s Metropolitan Police also said it was investigating “offensive and racist” messages on social media.
Read: England, Italy set for thrilling EURO 2020 showdown on Sunday
Rashford, who plays for Manchester United, noted the racial abuse he received on social media in May after the team lost the Europa League final.
England coach Gareth Southgate was criticized for his strategy of bringing in Rashford and Sancho off the bench to take penalties while star Raheem Sterling was sidelined in the shootout.
“They were the best takers we had left on the pitch,” Southgate said. “We win and lose together.”
Read: Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview
Italy wins Euro 2020, beats England in penalty shootout
Italian soccer’s redemption story is complete. England’s painful half-century wait for a major title goes on.
And it just had to be because of a penalty shootout.
Read: Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview
Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. The match finished 1-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium, which was filled mostly with English fans hoping to celebrate the team’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
“It’s coming to Rome. It’s coming to Rome,” Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci shouted into a TV camera amid the celebrations, mocking the famous lyric “it’s coming home” from the England team’s anthem.
For England, it was utter dejection again — they know the feeling so well when it comes to penalties — after Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s imposing goalkeeper, dived to his left and saved the decisive spot kick by 19-year-old Londoner Bukayo Saka, one of the youngest players in England’s squad.
That was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho — players brought on late in extra time seemingly as specialist penalty-takers — also missing.
Read: England, Italy set for thrilling EURO 2020 showdown on Sunday
As Saka and Sancho cried, Donnarumma was mobbed by his teammates as they sprinted toward him from the halfway line at the end of the second penalty shootout in a European Championship final.
Then Italy’s jubilant players headed to the other end of the field and ran as one, diving to the ground in front of the Italian fans who have witnessed a rebirth of their national team.
It was less than four years ago that Italy plunged to the lowest moment of its soccer history by failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Now, they are the best team in Europe and on a national-record 34-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, their suave coach who has won an international trophy in his first attempt to add to the country’s other European title — in 1968 — and its four World Cups.
Mancini joined his players on the podium as Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy to the backdrop of fireworks and tickertape.
“It was impossible even to just consider this at one stage,” Mancini said, “but the guys were just amazing. I have no words for them.”
For England, it’s the latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. They ended that losing streak by beating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, but the pain has quickly returned.
“The boys couldn’t have given more,” England captain Harry Kane said. “Penalties are the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It’s been a fantastic tournament — we should be proud, hold our heads up high. It’s going to hurt now, it’s going to hurt for a while.”
Read: Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England
England’s first major final in 55 years had all started so well, too, with Luke Shaw scoring the fastest goal in a European Championship final by meeting a cross from opposite wing back Kieran Trippier with a half-volley that went in off the post in the second minute.
It was Shaw’s first goal for England and it prompted a fist-pump between David Beckham and Tom Cruise in the VIP box amid an explosion of joy around Wembley, which had at least 67,000 fans inside. Maybe more, given dozens of ticketless England fans managed to barge their way past stewards and police and into the stadium in unsettling scenes before kickoff.
That was the only time Italy’s famously robust defense was really opened up in the entire 120 minutes.
Indeed, after Shaw’s goal, England barely saw the ball for the rest of the game.
Italy’s midfielders dominated possession, as widely predicted before the match, and England simply resorted to dropping deep and getting nine or even all 10 outfield players behind the ball. It was reminiscent of the 2018 World Cup semifinals, when England also scored early against Croatia then spent most of the game chasing its opponent’s midfield before losing in extra time.
Italy’s equalizer was merited and Bonucci was the unlikely scorer. He put the ball in from close range after a right-wing corner was flicked on to Marco Verratti, whose stooping header was tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
England managed to hold on for extra time — the way three of the last six European finals went — and actually had the better of the final stages.
Just not the shootout, again.
After the misses of Rashford — he stuttered up to the ball and then hit the post — and Sancho, whose shot was saved by Donnarumma again down to his left, Jorginho had the chance to win it for Italy.
Incredibly, the midfielder who converted the decisive penalty in a shootout win over Spain in the semifinals also failed to score as Pickford tipped the effort off the post.
It was Donnarumma who then made the crucial saves and within minutes he had also been named player of the tournament, the first goalkeeper to be so honored.
So instead of coming home, the trophy is headed to Rome.
“We’d heard it day in, day out from Wednesday night — we heard it would be coming home to London,” Bonucci said. “I’m sorry for them, but the cup will be taking a nice flight, making its way to Rome so Italians all over the world can savor this.”
Mominul “not well-informed” about Mahmudullah’s retirement
Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque has said that he was “not well-informed” about the dramatic Test retirement of Mahmudullah Riyad which left the cricketing fraternity in Bangladesh stunned.
Bangladesh won the one-off Test against Zimbabwe on Sunday by a big margin of 220 runs. In the post-match press conference, Mominul said he is not in a position to talk about Mahmudullah’s retirement as he is not informed well.
“It was his personal call,” Mominul said. “Everyone is free to make his own decision. I can’t talk about this. We just tried to play well and win the game. We wanted to make this match memorial if it is his final Test.”
At the start of last day’s play, the Bangladesh team performed a guard of honour for Mahmudullah. “If it is really his last game, we wanted to play well and make it special. He won his first Test, and now, he was playing his 50th game in Harare. Keeping all this in mind, we performed a guard of honour for him,” Mominul explained.
Mahmudullah revealed his retirement plan after he smashed an unbeaten 150 in the first innings of the game. Before the third day’s game, he talked to the teammates and informed them that he would call his days after this Test.
Also read: Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in one-off Test
After this news broke out, Mahmudullah answered the questions sent to him from Bangladesh media. But he didn’t say anything about his retirement.
Meanwhile, Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president said the decision of Mahmudullah came as an utter surprise to him as the allrounder gave written consent to the board recently saying that he is eager to play in formats for Bangladesh.
Before getting selected for the Zimbabwe Test, Mahmudullah was out of the Test setup for more than 17 months. The current head coach of the Bangladesh national team, Russell Domingo, had earlier suggested the right-handed allrounder focus on white-ball cricket more.
It is widely believed that Mahmudullah didn’t take this stance of the coach positively, and thus, he wanted to prove his mettle in Tests and say goodbye. After posting 150 in Harare, his best in the format, Mahmudullah thought the right time to keep his whites away has come.
The right-handed off-spinning allrounder had been an integral part of the Bangladesh national team in all formats of the game from 2009 to 2017. But he lost his place in the Test more than once in recent years.
Also read: BAN vs. ZIM Test Series 2021: Five Things We Learned From The One-Off Test
His lean display against in the last two years in Tests prompted BCB to consider him only for the white-ball cricket. In the last central contract, he was handed an agreement only for the white-ball games.
Mahmudullah got his Test cap back in 2009 against West Indies. In the first Test of his career at Kingston, Mahmudullah bagged eight wickets with a five-for in the second innings, which his only five-wicket haul in Tests.
Including the ongoing Test, Mahmudullah played a total of 50 Tests for the Tigers and scored 1949 runs till the first innings of the Harare Test. He has 5 Test centuries under his belt.
Mahmudullah won the player of the match award in the Harare Test and later talked to the broadcaster but did not engage in retirement talk.
In an interaction with the media after Mahmudullah received the guard of honour on day 5, the BCB president said: “It’s not expected from a player like Mahmudullah. We would sit with the senior players after this series ends. We fear that the other members of the national team could do the same things. We will take strict measures to stop this in future.”
Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in one-off Test
Riding on three wonderful centuries and brilliant bowling, Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in the one-off Test in Harare on Sunday.
Mahmudullah won the man of the match award for his unbeaten 150 in the first innings of the match. The right-hand all-rounder shocked everyone after scoring his best innings in the format as he announced he was retiring from Test.
Shadman Islam (115) registered his maiden ton in the format in the second innings; Najmul Hossain Shanto his second (117). They posted 196 runs in the second-wicket stand of the same innings, which helped Bangladesh set a target of 477 for the hosts.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who bagged five wickets in the first innings, took four in the second one. He took nine wickets conceding 148 runs, the best bowling figures for a Bangladeshi in an away Test.
Also read: PM greets Tigers for Test series win against Zimbabwe
The all-rounder surpassed right-hand pacer Robiul Islam, who claimed nine wickets for 155 runs against the same opponent at the same venue in 2013.
BAN vs. ZIM Test Series 2021: Five Things We Learned From The One-Off Test
Bangladesh won the one-off Test against Zimbabwe by 220 runs on Sunday (11th July) at the Harare Sports Club and also sealed the longer version series 1-0. Bangladesh dominated the match for the majority of the time. Shadman Islam took injured Tamim Iqbal's place in the playing XI and seized the opportunity by scoring a responsible century in the second innings. Mahmudullah Riyad, Taskin Ahmed, Najmul Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, and Shakib Al Hasan all played well for Bangladesh in the match. In this article, we discussed the five things we learned from the lone Test of BAN vs. ZIM Test Series 2021.
Five Things We Learned From the BAN vs. ZIM Test Series 2021
This was Bangladesh's first Test victory in more than one year. Apart from this, Bangladesh's last Test win came in February 2020 against Zimbabwe. All of the senior players took part in this match with the exception of Tamim Iqbal, who was ruled out due to a knee injury.
Bowlers are Key in Winning Test Matches
Cricket experts believe that bowlers must be able to take regular wickets in order to win consistently in Test cricket. In light of this, Bangladesh cruised to win against Zimbabwe despite Harare's batting-friendly pitch.
Bangladesh scored 468 runs in their first innings. Zimbabwe responded well at the start of their innings, but were bowled out for only 276 runs in their first innings. Shakib and Mehdi both bowled well in the first innings for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh batters looked solid in the second innings, setting Zimbabwe a target of 477 runs to win. But in the chase, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 256 runs. The Bangladeshi bowlers made a major contribution to this Test's victory.
Read Mominul “not well-informed” about Mahmudullah’s retirement
Spinners are Bangladesh's Main Strike Bowlers
Shakib Al Hasan and Mehdi Hasan Miraj were the most successful bowlers against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were knocked out for a low total in the first innings due to the excellent bowling of these two spinners. Taskin Ahmed bowled well in the second innings and took four wickets, but spinners played the most crucial roles in the contest. So, there is no doubt that spinners are Bangladesh's main strike bowlers.
Mahmudullah Riyad is Still Capable to Play Test Cricket
Veteran batsman Mahmudullah Riyad showed once again that he is still equally good at playing Test cricket with an unbeaten 150*-run knock in the first innings. However, Mahmudullah has already announced his retirement from Test. Experienced players like Mahmudullah Riyad should play more longer-version cricket if Bangladesh want to improve in the Test format.
Read Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in one-off Test
Alternatives of Senior Cricketers are being developed
The lack of a proper pipeline is one of Bangladesh cricket's most serious problems. However, there is a reason for optimism after Taskin Ahmed, Sadman Islam, Nazmul Hossain, and Mehedi Hasan Miraj's performances in the Test match.
Bangladesh dominated in the match thanks to their outstanding performance. Taskin took 5 wickets in the match and scored 75 runs in the first innings, while Miraz got 9 wickets. Among the batsmen, Shadman and Najmul struck a century each in the second innings. We can expect that veteran cricketers in Bangladesh's squad will have strong options in the near future.
Read Mahmudullah says “dramatic” goodbye to Test cricket, given guard of honour
The Quality of Zimbabwe's Cricket has deteriorated
At one point, famous cricketers like Andrew Flower and Grant Flower brought Zimbabwe cricket to the spotlight. However, there is currently no world-class player on the Zimbabwe squad, which is a major area of concern for the country's cricket development. Zimbabwean cricket will go down further if no action is taken soon.
Bottom Line
After analyzing the performances of the Bangladesh players in the only match of the BAN vs. ZIM Test Series 2021, it is evident that they had a productive match. Mahmudullah Riyad once again demonstrated that he is still capable of playing Test cricket with a magnificent performance with the bat while young players had demonstrated their cricketing talents. On the other side, Zimbabwe were unable to capitalize on their home-ground advantage and underperformed throughout the match. Overall, the Bangladeshi players and Captain Mominul Haque, who has yet to lose a Test match against Zimbabwe, have gained a lot of confidence from this match.
Read Bangladesh seven wickets away from a win in Harare
Mahmudullah says “dramatic” goodbye to Test cricket, given guard of honour
Bangladesh allrounder and T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad was presented a guard of honour by his team mates as he bade an emotional farewell to Test cricket ahead of the fifth day’s play in the Harare Test against Zimbabwe.
The right-handed allrounder reportedly informed his teammates about his retirement ahead third day’s play of the match. He, however, didn’t say anything about it to the media.
Read:Bangladesh seven wickets away from a win in Harare
Before getting selected for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, Mahmudullh was out of the longer version of the game for more than 17 months. He hit an unbeaten 150 in this comeback Test, which will now be his last Test innings.
A Bangladeshi media reported from Harare that Mahmudullah last night gave an impression that he is going to rethink this retirement. But he didn’t.
“He didn’t inform me anything officially about it,” Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president, told a national daily earlier. “I came to know from someone else. But it’s not acceptable to me. It’s unusual. We are playing a Test now. The match is yet to end.”
Nazmul also said that the decision of Mahmudullah surprised him more because the allrounder agreed to play in all formats for the Tigers what he has said to the board in the written consent.
“He was a last-minute inclusion to the Test side because he wrote to us that he would play Test if he gets a chance,” Nazmul added. “We asked every national team member to inform us in what formats they prefer to play, and Mahmudullah told us he is up for every format.”
Read:Shadman, Shanto hit centuries as Bangladesh secure 476-run lead
Copa America 2021 Final: Di Maria’s Early Strike Sinks Brazil
Argentina clinched the Copa America 2021 after beating Brazil 1-0 on Sunday (11th June) in front of nearly 5,000 spectators at the Maracana Stadium. Albiceleste adopted a cautious approach to the game after Di Maria gave them an early lead while Brazil did their best to cut the lead but were unable to do so due to a determined Argentine defense.Messi had a golden opportunity to score in the final towards the end of the match but instead blew it because he couldn't keep control of the ball. The match report of the Copa America 2021 final is discussed in this article.
Read:Messi’s Argentina beats Brazil 1-0, wins Copa America title
Match Report of Copa America 2021 Final: Argentina vs Brazil
Argentina won the Copa America for the first time in 28 years courtesy of Angel Di Maria's stunning first-half goal.Argentina took an early lead in the 22nd minute of the final match at the iconic Maracana Stadium as veteran attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria put the ball into the Brazil net after receiving a perfect cross from midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.
Before Di Maria's goal, both teams tried to play a little more carefully. But after falling behind by one goal, Brazil began to dominate the game and had complete control of the ball. They were creating opportunities, but a tenacious Argentine defense denied them.
Read:Brazil and Argentina both have keys to win Copa America
Brazil ramped up the heat in the second half and despite putting all of their best-attacking players on the field they were unable to equalize against an Argentine defense led by two great midfielders, Rodrigo de Paul and Paredes.
Messi was unusually silent throughout the contest. He squandered a wonderful opportunity to put the game away from Brazil with two minutes left in the game. However, Brazil were unable to score in the end, and Argentina won the championship.
Read Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England
Messi finished as a joint top scorer with 5 goals and won the best player award along with Neymar.
The referee issued nine yellow cards In the Copa America 2021 final. Brazil got four yellow cards, while Argentina received five.
This was Brazil's first competitive loss since the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when they were defeated by Belgium while Argentina have gone undefeated in 20 games under head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Bottom Line
Argentina won their record 15th Copa America championship thanks to an early goal by Angel Di Maria. Neymar's Brazil put forth a valiant effort throughout the match, but the Argentine defense held firm for the majority of the time, and Brazil was unable to score. This is Argentina's first major trophy in almost three decades.
Prior to this year's edition, they last won the Copa America in 1993. Football sensation Lionel Messi also earned his first major title with the Argentine national team after appearing in five finals, including four Copa America and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Copa America 2021 had seen some incredible individual performances, and the best team ultimately won the tournament.
Read Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
Messi’s Argentina beats Brazil 1-0, wins Copa America title
Two long droughts ended on Saturday at the Copa America final: Argentina won its first major title since 1993 after a 1-0 win against Brazil. And Lionel Messi finally lifted his first major trophy for the national team, filling in one of the biggest gaps in his decorated career.
Argentina’s winning goal at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro came in the 22nd minute after Rodrigo de Paul made a long pass to Ángel di Maria. The 33-year-old veteran striker counted on some sloppy defending from left-back Renan Lodi to take control and lob it past goalkeeper Ederson.
When the match ended, a tearful Mess i knelt down and put his hands on his face. Then most of his teammates ran in his direction to celebrate and threw him into the air. Once criticized by Argentina fans for his quietness, he went to the few hundred guests chanting his name at the Maracana and chanted with them. Messi kissed the trophy before lifting it into the air during the presentations.
The match at the Maracana started with some surprises. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made five changes from the starting lineup that beat Colombia on penalties in the semifinal.
Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes and Di María took the places of Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Tagliafico, Guido Rodríguez and Nicolás González.
Brazil, a team recognized for its steadiness, did not make any changes from the team that advanced to the final.
The teams were cautious early in the match, barely offering chances. When Argentina opened the scoring in a rare Brazil defensive mistake and Di Maria’s classy finish, the match became more physical and Argentina successfully stopped the ball from getting to Neymar.
Neymar tried hard with dribbles and passes, but the Selecao barely threatened Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the first half. Argentina sat in the back, hoping for counter-attacks.
Brazil coach Tite tried to change the dynamic of the match by replacing defensive midfielder Fred for Roberto Firmino, and managed to do so for much of the second half. But though the Selecao had more ball posession there were few real opportunities.
Messi’s performance in the final was not as impressive as in previous matches of the tournament, during which he scored four goals and had five assists. He had a clear opportunity in the 88th minute, tried to dribble Ederson, but the Brazilian goalkeeper stopped him.
Also read: AFC U23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh drawn in strong Group D.
“I can’t cry yet,” Di Maria said after the match. “We dreamed of getting this, and we fought. Many people criticized us and asked us not to come back (to the national team).”
The title, however, provides Messi some relief after all the questions throughout his career on his effectiveness playing for the national team.
The South American trophy is a relief for Argentina, which won its last major title when Messi was only 6 years old. Saturday’s victory in Rio gave the team its 15th Copa America title, this time unbeaten, equaling Uruguay’s total. Brazil has won the South American title nine times.
“If we achieved something, it was by making things natural. It is above all about transparency, one enters the other leaves. No one has a safe place,” said Argentina coach Scaloni. :“I hope fans enjoy this. They wanted to win it as much as us, they felt identification with this team, which may play well or badly, but never gives up.”
Messi, who has several titles with Barcelona, had reached the final of Copa America three times and lost all of them in 2007, 2015 and 2016. Now, he will have good memories at the Maracana, where Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany.
In its path to the title, Argentina won four out of five matches in group stage, including a hard-fought 1-0 encounter with Uruguay. It beat Ecuador 3-0 in the quarterfinals and topped Colombia on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Also read:Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Brazil became last-minute hosts of Copa America two weeks before kick off after original organizers Colombia and Argentina withdrew. Many players protested against the tournament taking place as the COVID-19 pandemic causes thousands of deaths a day in South America, even more so in Brazil where 532,000 have died.
Officials allowed a few thousand fans into the Maracana for the decider, the only match in the tournament to have spectators. There was very little social distancing in celebrations, and some fans removed their masks.
England, Italy set for thrilling EURO 2020 showdown on Sunday
England and Italy are set to face off on Sunday to be crowned the best in European football at London's iconic Wembley Stadium.
Italy are looking forward to win their first European title after 53 years when they beat Yugoslavia (1-1 and 2-0) in the EURO 1968 final, Anadolu Agency reported.
They then lost two finals in European Championships, a 2-1 loss to France in EURO 2000 and a 4-0 defeat to Spain in EURO 2012.
The Azzurri's defeat to Spain in EURO 2012 final is the biggest margin of defeat in a European Championship final.
With four final matches at the European Championships, they are now tied with Spain and the Soviet Union for second place behind Germany, which appeared in six finals.
Also read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Roberto Mancini's side topped Group A by beating Turkey and Switzerland 3-0, and sealing a 1-0 victory against Wales.
Following the group stage, they beat Austria in the last 16 and Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, moving to the final after defeating Spain on penalties in the semifinals.
They conceded three goals, while Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Pessina scored two goals each.
According to Anadolu Agency, the historic EURO 2020 game with 60,000 spectators will be the Three Lions' first-ever final in the European Championship, and their first final appearance in a major tournament since claiming the 1966 World Cup title.
England won only two of their last 14 games against Italy in all competitions, 2-0 in June 1997 and 2-1 in August 2013 – both friendly matches.
However, in the 1977 World Cup qualification, the English team won against Italy 2-0 – the only victory in eight competitive games during the tournament.
Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
They are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, keeping 10 clean sheets and conceding just two goals.
Collecting seven points, England won Group D in the EURO 2020 ahead of Croatia, Czech Republic, and Scotland.
The Three Lions reached the final, eliminating Germany, Ukraine, and Denmark, respectively, conceding just one goal following the conclusion of the group stage.
Only three nations have ever lifted the Euros title on home ground – Spain (1964), Italy (1968), and France (1984).
Portugal (2004) and France (2016) made it to the final, but lost.
The match will be officiated by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers.
The 48-year-old was also the referee in the 2014 World Cup's group stage match when England suffered a 2-1 defeat to Italy.
Bangladesh seven wickets away from a win in Harare
Bangladesh need seven more wickets to register a win in Harare Test against Zimbabwe.
Aiming to score 477 runs to win the game, Zimbabwe ended day four at 140 for three in 40 overs. Brendan Taylor was tremendous with the bat. He scored 92 off 73 balls with 16 fours.
A century looked imminent for him, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz tricked him with a loose ball outside off. Taylor tried a big shot at the last moment and ended up sending a return catch to the bowler.
He was the second wicket to fall for the hosts after Milton Shumba who fell for 11 to Taskin Ahmed. Shakib Al Hasan, who bagged four wickets in the first innings, scalped the third wicket removing Takudzwanashe Kaitano, who was the highest scorer for Zimbabwe in the first innings.
Earlier, Bangladesh declared their second innings on 284 for one in 67.4 overs, with Shadman Islam and Shanto Mahmud remained unbeaten for 115 and 117 respectively.
Shadman needed 180 balls to reach his maiden three-figure score in international cricket. He smashed eight fours along the way. While going to 100 from 85, Shanto hit two sixes and reached his hundred in 109 balls.
Also read: Shadman, Shanto hit centuries as Bangladesh secure 476-run lead
In the second-wicket stand, they added 196 runs, which is now the third-highest stand in the second wicket for Bangladesh in Tests.
With the 192-run first-innings lead, Bangladesh secured a huge lead of 476 runs with a little over fours sessions to play.
In their first innings, Zimbabwe tumbled for 276 while replying to Bangladesh’s first innings total of 468.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz bagged five wickets, and Shakib Al Hasan took four.
For Zimbabwe, the debutant Takudzwanashe Kaitano scored 87 which was the highest by any Zimbabwean batsman. Brendan Taylor also hit a fifty for the hosts.
Earlier, Mahmudullah Riyad scored an unbeaten 150 for Bangladesh while Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed and Mominul scored 95, 70 and 75 respectively to post a huge first-innings total despite losing two early wickets.
Also read: Five-for in overseas Test will boost my confidence: Mehidy
Brief score:
Bangladesh first innings: 468/10 in 126 overs (Mahmudullah 150*, Liton 95, Taskin 75, Mominul 70); Muzrabani 4/94, Tiripano 2/58, Nyauchi 2/92
Zimbabwe first innings: 276/10 in 111.5 overs (Kaitano 87, Taylor 81, Shumba 41); Mehidy 5/82, Shakib 4/82
Bangladesh second innings: 284/1 declared in 67.4 overs (Shanto 117*, Shadman 115*); Ngarava 1/36,
Zimbabwe second innings: 140/3 in 40 overs (Taylor 92, Myers 18*); Shakib 1/23, Taskin 1/39, Mehidy 1/45.