The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER captain Brendan Taylor struck back to back hundreds, his effort not enough with Zimbabwe going down by 218 runs to Bangladesh in the second cricket Test on day five in Dhaka on Thursday for the series to end 1-1.
For the second time in his career, Taylor struck consecutive hundreds in a Test, which makes him the first Zimbabwean to have done so twice. He seems to love batting against Bangladesh since it was against the Tigers that he struck 171 and 102 not out at Harare Sports Club in April 2013 when Zimbabwe won the first Test by 335 runs.
Only the Flower brothers have also scored back to back hundreds in Tests. Grant Flower did so against New Zealand at Harare Sports Club 1997 Andy Flower while Andy slammed 142 and 199 not out versus South Africa, again in Harare in September 2001. Just to show Taylor’s value to the Zimbabwean team, he has now has 16 centuries in international cricket, six in Tests and 10 in One Day Internationals. He has equaled Andy Flower with the most international hundreds for Zimbabwe. The older Flower scored 12 hundreds in Tests and just four in ODIs.
On Thursday, Taylor was left stranded on 106, his second century in the match after the 110 he made in the first innings, Zimbabwe bowled out for 224 in their second innings. It was always going to be a big ask after the Tigers had left the Chevrons requiring 443 to win the second Test.
With their display in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, who won the first Test in Sylhet by 151 runs, showed that they can be a competitive force in the longer version of the game. Lack of playing time is certainly inhibiting the team’s ability with no planned Test being against Ireland in July next year. Zimbabwe are also scheduled to play Test cricket when West Indies visit the country at the end of 2019.
The Test series against Bangladesh was the first since Zimbabwe last took on West Indies at home a year ago.
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