Zimbabwe recorded a rare Test match victory over Bangladesh today (April 23), in the opening match of the series between the two countries in Sylhet, and completed a national record chase to seal the result.
Having been set 174 to chase, openers Ben Curran and Brian Bennett made a strong start in the fourth innings. They put on 95 runs before their partnership was broken, Mehidy Hasan Miraz finding the splice of Curran's bat to make the breakthrough. That wicket proved to be the start of a collapse, and Zimbabwe slipped to 128-4 in the next 13 overs.
In danger of squandering their start and what had looked like a likely victory, the middle order also quickly crumbled, with Craig Ervine and Nyasha Mayavo dismissed within an over of each other. Even when the seventh wicket of Wellington Masakadza fell with 13 runs still to get, the win didn't feel assured. However, Wessly Madhevere and Richard Ngarava saw what was left of the chase out between them, with Madhevere finding the winning runs with a reverse-sweep for four.
Zimbabwe have registered their first Test win since March 2021 🔥
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 23, 2025
They chased down their highest fourth innings total ever to notch up a memorable victory against Bangladesh 👏 pic.twitter.com/eQ9BzhpVo7
That boundary sealed Zimbabwe's first Test win since 2021, when they beat Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. It's also their first win against Bangladesh in a Test since 2018 and their eighth in the history of Tests between the two sides.
The fourth innings also secured another milestone for Zimbabwe, it being their highest-ever successful fourth innings chase in a Test match. Their previous highest was against Pakistan in 1998, where they chased down 162 in 48 overs.
The two sides will begin the second and final Test of the series on April 28.
Full list: Highest successful fourth-innings chases for Zimbabwe
| Score | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| 174-7 | Bangladesh | Sylhet | 2025 |
| 162-3 | Pakistan | Peshawar | 1998 |
| 157-6 | India | Harare | 2001 |
| 100-2 | Bangladesh | Harare | 2001 |
| 17-0 | Afghanistan | Abu Dhabi | 2021 |
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