PERFORMER OF THE DAY: Mithun's redemption
Test cricket is a hard game, but one of its kinder aspects is that it gives players two chances to make their mark. For debutant Mohammad Mithun that second chance in Bangladesh's second innings was desperately needed. He played an ill-advised, ill-timed ODI-style glide off his fourth ball in the first innings to be caught at slip for a duck. His dismissal was part of a collapse that saw Bangladesh cut down to 26 for three.
In the second innings, four top-order Bangladesh batsmen were dispatched with just 26 runs on the board yesterday, but this time Mithun was not one of them. Not only did he need to add some value to his name, Bangladesh needed him to score so that they can beat Zimbabwe and level a series they should have won.
Mithun did it for self and team, showing the form he had recently showed in ODIs without resorting to slip catching practice. He hit 67 off 110 balls with four boundaries and a six, adding 118 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah Riyad to help shut Zimbabwe out of the game and set up a potential win.
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