Players punished after butting heads in one-off Test

Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed and Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani have both been fined 15 per cent of their match fees after being involved in a physical altercation during the one-off Test in Harare.

Taskin and Muzarabani came together early on the second day after the Zimbabwean quick sent down a bouncer to the Bangladesh tail-ender.

After exchanging some words, the pair moved aggressively towards each other to the point that Muzarabani's face made forceful contact with the grille of Taskin's helmet.

Both players were charged with a Level 1 breach of the ICC's Code of Conduct relating to "inappropriate physical contact" during a match.

The two players were fined 15 per cent of their match fees and one demerit point was added to their disciplinary records.

It's the exact same penalty that was handed to Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine in January after he was heard using coarse language after an unsuccessful review in the Sydney Test against India.

Speaking after play on day two, Taskin said several Zimbabwe players had taken him on verbally.

"Their fast bowlers were attacking me with bouncers, and trying to get me out," he said.

"I think I was handling them well. Some of them were abusing me as well, but when they did it for the third time, I told him to do something with the ball rather than abusing me."

Bangladesh veteran Mahmudullah had struck a career-best unbeaten 150 in a ninth wicket stand of 191 with Taskin, the second-highest ninth wicket stand in Test history.

When Taskin was dismissed for 75, their stand ended four runs short of the 195 record put on by South Africans Mark Boucher and Pat Symcox against Pakistan in 1995.

But it did break the Bangladesh record of 184 runs for the ninth wicket between Abul Hasan and Mahmudullah in 2012.

Mahmudullah reached his career-best score off 278 balls with 17 fours and a six.

Bangladesh will take a 237-run lead into the fourth day after dismissing their hosts for 276 just over an hour before the close on day three, with Mehidy Hasan taking 5-82 and Shakib Al Hasan 4-82.

The spin pair decimated Zimbabwe's tail with the last five wickets falling for a meagre 15 runs.

Zimbabwe’s innings was propped up by a patient 87 off 311 balls by debutant opener Takudzwanashe Kaitano.

Zimbabwe had resumed on 1-114 with Kaitano and captain Brendan Taylor compiling a promising 115-run second wicket partnership before Taylor went for 81 before lunch and Bangladesh then slowly began to exert control.

- with Reuters