ZIMBABWE sealed the biggest Test victory in their history on Tuesday afternoon, bowling out Bangladesh for 185 in their second innings to win the one-off Test in Harare by an innings and 85 runs.
The result also made it back-to-back innings victories for the hosts, having beaten Afghanistan by an innings and 73 runs at the same ground in October last year, a result that had stood as their previous best.
Set the daunting task of avoiding the follow-on and more after being dismissed for 140 in their first innings against Zimbabwe's 410, Bangladesh never recovered.
Resuming the third day on 40 for one, the tourists slipped to 46 for three inside the first four overs as seamer Blessing Muzarabani removed both overnight batters, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque, bowling a probing length that had them constantly hurried for room before switching to fuller deliveries to finish them off.
Joy edged behind off a ball that climbed awkwardly, while Mominul pushed away from his body to gift Brad Evans a sharp, diving catch at third slip.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim then put up the only meaningful resistance of the innings, adding 61 for the fourth wicket through contrasting approaches, Shanto looking to score through the off side, Mushfiqur content to absorb pressure and the occasional blow to the body.
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The stand ended when Newman Nyamhuri's attempted yorker turned into a low full toss that Shanto dragged onto his own stumps for 30.
Mushfiqur fell just before the lunch interval, caught down the leg side off Muzarabani for 34, and the towering seamer struck again soon after the restart to remove Towhid Hridoy, edging behind to third slip.
Muzarabani was denied a fifth wicket in the following over when Brian Bennett shelled a regulation chance at gully off Taijul Islam.
A brief rally followed as Amite Hasan and Taijul put on 34 for the seventh wicket before Evans accounted for Taijul, caught behind off a short ball aimed at his body.
Richard Ngarava then wrapped up two wickets in a single over to leave the tail exposed, and the innings was finally closed when Muzarabani without a fifth wicket of his own to show for it, completed the catch running back from mid-on to dismiss Hasan Mahmud off Nyamhuri.
As in the first innings, Zimbabwe's pace attack claimed all 10 wickets, meaning fast bowlers took every wicket to fall in the match, only the second time that has happened in the nation's Test history, after a defeat to Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 1993.
Innocent Kaia, whose maiden Test century of 140 in the first innings single-handedly matched Bangladesh's entire first-innings total, was named Player of the Match.