Day 3 is supposed to be a ‘moving day’ in Test Cricket. It is when the balance of the contest tilts to one side or the other. For Zimbabwe to stay in the game, they need to bat out the whole day. They need someone to replicate what Mahmudullah and Taskin Ahmed did for Bangladesh.
They have started well though. Milton Shumba and Takudzwanashe Kaitano added 61 runs for the opening stand. Then Shumba fell to Shakib Al Hasan. Brendan Taylor joined Kaitano in the middle, and both did well to see off the day.
Zimbabwe will resume the proceedings from 114/1 on Day 3. Kaitano has come across as a natural stonewaller. Having played 117 balls for his 33, he should aim to go big on such a solid foundation he has built for himself.
Taylor, meanwhile, likes to play his shots, but he needs to be cautious against the spin duo of Shakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The pitch has hardly offered anything to the seamers.
For Bangladesh, the second wicket is the key. It will expose a relatively inexperienced batting order. Except for Regis Chakabva, none of the next set of batters has played more than five matches.
Taskin Ahmed struggled to get his line and length right after an initial burst. Taylor smashed three fours off him in the space of two overs in the fag end of the day.
On the slow, stodgy Harare surface, fast bowlers tend to get deflated after relentless toil. This is where things do go wrong, as the batters generally capitalise on the weariness of bowlers. Blessing Muzarabani was probing in his opening spell, but lost the zing as the game progressed.
Taskin and Ebadot Hossain need to ensure that they do not stray from the basics of bowling to a decent line and length. A lot will also depend on how Shakib and Mehidy fare on Day 3.