The powerful drive through the extra-cover off Elton Chigumbura’s fifth over into the lunch break was perhaps the only time Tamim Iqbal showed some aggression throughout the day.
Chigumbura had just reviewed a leg-before decision against him to a ball that pitched outside the leg- stump, naturally Tamim was not happy with his over enthusiasm.
He defended the next ball and then sent the one that followed out of the fence to return Chigumbura his stare back.
Barring the exception it was a completely different Tamim, who chose the opening day of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Khulna to show the other side of his batting.
His unusually sedate half-century, which was joined by an equally cautious 56 from Mahmudullah, propelled Bangladesh to 193-3 at close on the opening day on Monday.
Tamim remained unbeaten on 74 at stumps but not before facing 250 balls, the maximum he ever consumed in a Test innings since making his debut in 2008.
Earlier, Tamim played highest 243 balls in a Test innings against the West Indies in 2009, when he went on to score 128.
It was not completely unexpected though as Tamim changed his batting to a great extent for the last few matches after his form deserted him this season.
He took 146 balls to score a fifty against West Indies in Saint Lucia in September but it was almost unimaginable that he will break the record of his slowest fifty just after two Tests later in a much favourable batting conditions at Khulna.
The wicket at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium kept low almost from the beginning and the outfield was also sluggish but batting was not as difficult as it was in Saint Lucia.
Yet he took 169 balls to reach his fifty and as an obvious outcome Bangladesh progressed in an equally slow manner to gather 60-odd runs in each session.
Not a single batsman showed any kind of urgency to expedite the scoring rate, which allowed Zimbabwe to take some satisfaction from the first day’s outcome despite managing just three wickets.
Mushfiqur Rahim won a crucial toss and readily opted to bat only to see his openers stifled by Zimbabwe’s pace bowlers from the beginning.
Opener Shamsur Rahman played one across the line and got hit on his front foot which prompted bowler Chigumbura to make a loud appeal.
Umpire Billy Bowden reprieved him but television replay did not as Zimbabwe reviewed it to get the decision in their favour, dismissing Shamsur for just two.
Mominul Haque, 35, put 72 runs with Tamim before he gave a return catch to Tinashe Panyangara, the most successful Zimbabwe bowler on the opening day with 2-29.
Mahmudullah joined Tamim to add 95 runs for the fourth wicket, a partnership that ensured Bangladesh reaching a respectable position despite their cumbersome batting.
Zimbabwe looked frustrated at times as wicket seemed hard to come by before Panyangara finally earned them the breakthrough when he trapped Mahmudullah for a leg-before.
Righter-hander Mahmudullah, who has now at least one fifty in his last four Tests after a long drought, took 140 balls to complete his half-century. He played 152 balls overall and hit five boundaries but was left regretting for missing out a deserving century.
Sakib al Hasan, 13 not out, was accompanying Tamim when the stumps were drawn for the day.
-With New Age input
