Mahmudullah alongside Taskin Ahmed put the highest 191 runs for the ninth wicket in the one-off Test at Harare to give Bangladesh an upper hand on the second day.
Mahmudullah put the highest Test score of 150* on the second day to take Bangladesh on 468 after being 132 for 6 at one stage on day 1. Zimbabwe made a steady start and ended their day of 114/1 at stumps, still, they have a big task to do after trailing by 354 runs.
Mahmudullah and Taskin Ahmed started the day on 294/8 before putting the second-highest Test stand for the ninth wicket in Test format. It took Zimbabwe almost two sessions to get rid of the pair as they played 276 deliveries to play the hosts.
Things would have been completely different if Taskin was not dropped on the second slip in the first session. The pair gave no other chances and answered all the techniques and ideas of Zimbabwe bowlers.
At the start of the second session, the pair took some time to settle in. They played a total of 13 overs before drinks break and scored a few runs including four boundaries.
After the break, Mahmudullah shifted the gear and scored a couple of shots quite easily, and let Zimbabwe pay for their bad choices. Mahmudullah hit four boundaries in the next two overs to get across 140.
Zimbabwe finally got the breakthrough when Taskin Ahmed swept across the line off Milton Shumba and missed it. He was dismissed on 75 but he had already done the damage. Mahmudullah soon reached 150 off 278 but Ebadat Hossain bowled on a duck two balls later to end things for Bangladesh.
Despite spending 126 overs on the field on a hot sunny day, Zimbabwe made it a big deal for Bangladesh bowlers to get the first wicket. The opening pair had scored a 61 runs stand to put a steady start to their innings.
Taskin Ahmed did a fine task with the ball as he ended his spell with the fixtures 8-6-2-0. Hossain could not find the same rhythm as Milton Shumba and Takudzwanashe stood still at the crease.
However, Shumba was then trapped in front of Shakib al Hasan. Kaitano played peaceful innings of 33 off 117 balls. Brendan Taylor opted his traditional way to score 16 off 14 to get his side across 100.
There was a little twist before the end of the day when Kaitano hit the ball towards the boundary and while chasing the fielder kicked the ball towards the boundary. The umpire did not check the replay and give Zimbabwe three runs.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 468 (Mahmudullah 150*; Blessing Muzarabani 4-94) lead Zimbabwe 114/1 (Milton Shumba 41) by 354 runs.