Close Bangladesh 251 and 227 for 4 (Javed Omar 80*, Habibul Bashar 76) need 64 more runs to make Zimbabwe (542-7d) bat again
Scorecard

Bangladesh went some way towards answering critics of their elevation to Test status with a gritty batting display on the fourth day of the second match against Zimbabwe. By the end of the fourth day in Chittagong's inaugural Test Bangladesh, following on, were only 64 short of making Zimbabwe bat again.

The main resistance came from Habibul Bashar, who followed his first-innings century with a restrained three-hour 76, and opener Javed Omar, who batted all day and finished with 80 not out after starting with 2. Omar has already stuck it out for 100 overs and 415 minutes, and is in danger of outGrippering Trevor Gripper, Zimbabwe's own limpet opener.

Omar, 24, carried his bat on his Test debut, against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in April. In that game no-one else could stay with him, but this time he shared an opening stand of 73 with Al-Sahariar Rokon (40), and then put on 122 with Habibul, who hit 12 fours in his 76.

There was a mini-collapse after tea, however, when three wickets clattered for eight runs, all of them to Grant Flower. He broke the long second-wicket stand when Habibul thrashed one to Sean Ervine, the bottle-blond substitute, at long-off. Then two former Bangladesh captains, Aminul Islam and Akram Khan, managed only three runs between them.

Mohammad Ashraful, still only 17, stopped the rot. He dropped anchor with Omar, and made only a solitary single, from 53 balls, in 95 minutes before the close.

Grant Flower now has seven wickets in the match, after taking only 10 in his previous 55 Tests with his gentle left-arm spin. He put Zimbabwe back in the driving seat after a disappointing day. The faster bowlers didn't pose much of a threat - although Henry Olonga was characteristically brisk and uncharacteristically accurate, and claimed the wicket of Al-Sahariar.

Given good weather tomorrow the Zimbabweans should be able to complete a series-clinching win, but they have encountered stiffer resistance than they probably expected here. And first they have to part the obdurate pair of Javed Omar and Mohammad Ashraful, who have so far added 24 in 21.2 overs.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd