Zimbabwe take control of Test

Grant Flower and Heath Streak rode their luck on Saturday to earn Zimbabwe a commanding lead of 123 runs on the third day of the second Test against Bangladesh.

When rain stopped play, the home side were 377 for six in reply to Bangladesh's first innings total of 254 before Flower and Streak put on 133 for the sixth wicket, Flower scoring 84 and Streak finishing unbeaten on 65.

Flower was at the crease for almost four-and-a-half hours, faced 218 balls and hit five fours and two sixes before he pulled what became the last ball of the day, a long hop from left-arm spinner Enamul Hoque, to Mohammad Sharif at mid-wicket.

Streak scored his runs in three-and-a-half hours, off 137 balls and with seven fours.

Flower was on 44, with the total 309 for five, when he was dropped by Naimur Rahman at slip off Enamul Hoque.

Streak survived two close calls when on 55.

First, wicketkeeper Mehrab Hossain made a hash of a clear stumping chance off Naimur Rahman, the off-spinner.

Then the Zimbabwean seemed to glove a leg-side delivery from Mohammed Sharif to the wicketkeeper, only for umpire Russell Tiffin to give the batsman the benefit of the doubt.

FOUR FOURS

Zimbabwe resumed on 144 for two, and the third day started with a bang when Alistair Campbell sent the first four balls speeding to the boundary for four.

Campbell pulled the first three deliveries -- bowled by left-arm paceman Manjural Islam -- through mid-wicket, and cut the fourth past gully.

He took two more runs off the sixth ball to finish with 18 runs from the first over of the day.

Eight balls into the day's play, Stuart Carisle pushed too firmly at a ball from medium pacer Mohammed Sharif and was caught at short leg by Habibul Bashar for 21 to end a third-wicket stand of 60.

Mohammad Sharif should have struck again in similar fashion his next over, but this time Habibul Bashar dropped the catch, which would have dismissed Andy Flower for three.

Instead, Campbell and Andy Flower shared 46 runs for the fourth wicket before confusion between the batsmen saw Flower run out for 23.

Javed Omar fielded brilliantly at point and unleashed his throw while still on the ground, catching Flower stranded out of the non-striker's end after being sent back.

Twenty minutes before lunch, left-hander Campbell swept a sharply turning delivery from off-spinner Naimur Rahman straight to Mushfiqur Rahman at short mid-wicket.

Campbell scored 73 in just under three hours at the crease, in which he faced 135 balls and hit six fours.

Mail Cricket Editor