The Best of Tests: Habibul Bashar leads Bangladesh to first-ever Test win

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Match Summary

1st Test, Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh at Chattogram, Jan 6-10 2005

Bangladesh 488 & 204/9d

Zimbabwe (target 381) 312 & 154

Result - Bangladesh won by 226 runs

Player of the Match - Enamul Haque jnr

For 4 years and 2 months, Bangladesh had been searching for their maiden Test victory. From 2000 to 2004, they faced Zimbabwe six times and lost four games while managing to draw two. But, when the two teams met in the first week of 2005, Bangladesh registered history in the first Test at Chattogram.

A moment from the match which highlighted how much the win meant for Bangladesh is when Mashrafe Mortaza had to hold up the game for a few seconds to wipe off his tears with Bangladesh just 1 wicket away from the historic win.

Bangladesh posted a mammoth 488 runs in their first innings. Skipper Habibul Bashar was the top scorer with 94 while Nafees Iqbal and Rajin Saleh also scored half-centuries.

But, it was the late order stand between Mohammad Rafique and Mashrafe Mortaza which swelled Bangladesh's score. Chris Mpofu picked up four wickets for Zimbabwe.

The visitors then tried their best with 92 from skipper Tatenda Taibu and 71 from Elton Chigumbura but the duo could do just enough to avoid the follow-on. Mohammad Rafique picked up 5 for Bangladesh.

In their second innings, on the back of another half-century from captain Bashar, the hosts set Zimbabwe a target of 381 in the last innings. Apart from Hamilton Masakadza and Brendon Taylor, there was not much resistance from Zimbabwe as on the back of a six-wicket haul from Enamul Haque jnr, Bangladesh registered their first-ever Test victory by 226 runs. 

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