A maiden Test fifty from Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah’s first Test hundred in eight years drove Bangladesh forward on the fourth afternoon in Dhaka, allowing them to declare their innings for a second time in the match.

Together they repaired Bangladesh’s innings from a wobbly 25 for 4 with a 118-run fifth wicket stand. Mahmudullah hit out to reach his hundred with the final ball before tea and took the score to 224 for 6, a lead of 442, when the declaration came during the interval. That target is likely well out of Zimbabwe’s reach, and they will have to survive four full sessions in order to save the match, reports espncricinfo.com.

Mithun’s debut got off to a shaky start with his four-ball duck in the first innings, but in the second dig he applied himself much more effectively. Bangladesh needed him to, having slipped to 10 for 3 when he strode to the crease. His first runs in Test cricket came via an outside edge past slip off Sean Williams’ left-arm spin, and Mithun’s knock was not without its iffy strokes, but he put the bad ball away whenever the spinners missed their lengths.

Mahmudullah played the more adventurous role early in the partnership, jumping down the track to slam Williams straight down the ground for six and taking on the quicks on either side of lunch. He had gone 10 Test innings without a fifty before this one, and finally reached the mark from 70 deliveries. Mithun had also reached his own fifty by then, from 91 balls, and with the partnership pushed beyond 100 the time came to step on the accelerator.

Mithun fetched a floated offspinner from Raza over wide long, but skied a similar shot at the very next ball to be out for 67. After Ariful Haque was quickly bowled around his legs, Mahmudullah found an able partner in Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mehidy was given out lbw when he had just a single to his name, but he had the decision overturned on review and helped Mahmudullah to add a further 73 as Bangladesh’s lead ballooned. Mahmudullah continued to take on Zimbabwe’s spinners, hitting his second six off Mavuta and then slicing an uppish drive through point off the final delivery of the session to bring up his ton.

Bangladesh had decided not to enforce the follow on this morning, instead looking to boost their lead ahead of the declaration, but the plan backfired initially. The top order folded largely in the pursuit of quick runs, Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque slashing at deliveries outside off and Mushfiqur Rahim top-edging a pull. Liton Das was the only one removed by an unplayable ball, Kyle Jarvis pitching one on middle and off and then nipping it away past a defensive poke to kiss the top of off stump and remove the bails.

Bangladesh were four down inside the first session, but Zimbabwe are without the services of the injured Tendai Chatara and were thus quickly forced to turn early to their spinners and a defensive mode. That allowed Mithun and Mahmudullah to settle, building the partnership that extended Bangladesh’s hefty lead before Mahmudullah’s ton brought the declaration.