Taylor turns it on
After starting the day badly, Zimbabwe staged a strong recovery on the back of Brendon Taylor's fifth Test hundred, which was also his maiden away ton, on the third day of the second Test against Bangladesh yesterday. At one stage they seemed set to go past the follow-on target of 322, before the Bangladesh spinners bounced back late in the day.
During a 139-run sixth-wicket partnership with Peter Moor and even after the latter's dismissal, Taylor remained composed, although he was lucky on 94 when he was dropped by keeper Mushfiqur Rahim off the bowling of Taijul Islam.
He reached 99 with a gorgeous, advancing inside-out drive off Taijul and reached the landmark -- his fourth ton against Bangladesh -- with a single to midwicket off his 187th delivery.
“Over the last few years, the three-Test match series in 2014 [in Bangladesh] was a tough one, and it is always tough playing here against a world-class spin attack. So I'm thrilled with that, but we're still a long way behind in the game. When Bangladesh have 500 [522 for seven], it's very hard to lose from that position. So we've got a lot to play for still,” Taylor said after play ended.
He was eventually dismissed for 110 off 194 balls, during which he hit 10 fours.
“It's not over. It's certainly not. But it's going to be a monumental challenge for us to even draw this game. We've batted 105 overs. Realistically, it will be a miracle for us to draw this game, but we have to have the belief that we have the batters and mental strength to do that.”
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