Nayeem helps Bangladesh claw back
Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan struck twice in the post-lunch session to help Bangladesh restore parity in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Dhaka on Saturday.
The hosts left Zimbabwe reduced to 150-3 at tea on the opening day after Nayeem dismissed opener Prince Masvaure and former captain Brendan Taylor in quick succession.
Masvaure made 64 off 152 balls with nine fours and shared a 111-run partnership with skipper Craig Ervine for the second wicket before Nayeem struck.
Ervine also hit a fifty and remained unbeaten on 60 at the break alongside Sikandar Raza, seven not out.
Opting to bat first after Ervine won the toss, Zimbabwe looked to be in control when Masvaure and Ervine guided them to 80-1 in the opening session.
Nayeem removed Masvaure with a sharp return catch shortly after the batsman was dropped by Najmul Hossain at slip on 59 runs.
Taylor, who scored a century in both innings in his previous Test in Mirpur in 2018, followed Masvaure soon after as Nayeem bowled him for 10.
The experienced right-hander attempted a reverse sweep but could only connect the ball with his gloves before it smashed onto his stumps.
Apart from Nayeem, pacer Abu Jayed was the only Bangladesh bowler to get some success on the opening day when he dismissed opener Kevin Kasuza for two as Nayeem took a catch at gully.
Kasuza and Masvaure earlier successfully negotiated the new ball as the first runs came from the bat in Zimbabwe's innings in the seventh over of the day.
The Zimbabwe batsmen grew in confidence after Ervine hit Nayeem for two boundaries in the 13th over before a few more confident shots kept the scoreboard moving.
Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the Bangladesh lineup after missing out on their previous Test against Pakistan.
Zimbabwe handed Charlton Tshuma his Test debut in what is the 100th international match between two teams.
Bangladesh have lost their last six Test matches -- five of them by an innings or more -- but they have also beaten Zimbabwe five times in their last six encounters.