Caught in the Tigers' spin

HATS OFF: Shakib Al Hasan bows to the Mirpur crowd after his five-for, in fact 6-59, against Zimbabwe. PHOTO: STAR

Six-shooter Shakib Al Hasan made a dazzling return after serving a two and a half month ban as Bangladesh gave Zimbabwe the message that spin-threat would be as inevitable as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo breaking Raul's Champions League's goal-scoring record.
And there was plenty of proof on the very first day of the opening Test at Mirpur yesterday, where the Southern African nation lost nine of their 10 first innings wickets to the spinners led by Shakib.
The spin trio that also included debutant leg-spinner Jubair Hossain and another young left-armer Taijul Islam exploited the bounce and turn to create a web around the Zimbabwean batsmen, who were eventually bowled out for 240 and with half a session still to go.
The loss of opener Tamim Iqbal might have spoiled the party a little bit for the Tigers, but Bangladesh certainly got off to the start they needed on the opening day after Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor won the toss and opted to bat first.  The Tigers were 27-1 at stumps with Mominul Haq and Shamsur Rahman looking confident at the crease.
The day's hero was Shakib as his six-wicket haul shot the visitors out for a below par total. But a 19-year-old spinner also provided him with enough good support to draw attention from the home crowd, which gathered pace with the progress of the game.
Jubair, a first leg-spinner in the team, finished with two wickets. But it was the manner in which he bowled which gave a good first impression and also provided much-needed variety in the attack. If he did not bowl with authority, he kept the control while Taijul also added his value in an attack that made sure that three specialist spinners took the maximum burden by bowling 53.5 overs out of 75.5.
Pacer Shahadat Hossain might not be as brilliant as Shakib, but the right-arm paceman deserved some praise as he made his return to the side after a long nineteen months break by providing the breakthrough in the very first over, winning an edge from opener Vusi Sibanda. Then it was Shakib's show. The sparse crowd greeted the ace spinner with thunderous applause as he came to bowl the eighth over and Hamilton Masakadza was his first scalp as the right-handed batsman, attempting at clearing the straight boundary, played straight to Jubair at mid-off. Jubair first wicket was the prized wicket of Zimbabwean skipper Taylor as the visitors were reduced to 83 for three.
Zimbabwean batsmen struggled against the spinners on a wicket that offered bounce, turn and at times kept low. Initially it looked like 200 was a far cry for them but Sikandar Raza's patient 51-run knock enabled his side to cross the mark, before Jubair broke his resistance.
Shakib took wickets at regular intervals and, once again, his accuracy was the key behind his 12th five-for.
In reply, Zimbabwe's two opening bowlers also used the bounce brilliantly and a superb delivery from Tinashe Panyangara gave them the early breakthrough as Tamim was dismissed by a snorter that the left-hander could only fend off into the slip cordon.