Sports Reporter :
Bangladesh Cricket team thrashed Zimbabwe Cricket team by eight wickets in the opening game of the five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Friday.
Sent into bat first, Zimbabwe scored 124 off 20 overs.
In reply, the Tigers sailed home making 126 for the loss of two wickets when they had 28 balls to spare.
Bangladesh scored 44 runs for the loss of one wicket in 7.2 overs before rain interrupted the hosts’ innings.
Opener Litton Das (1) was bowled out by Blessing Muzarabani when Bangladesh’s total was just five.
One-down Najmul Hossain Shanto was caught at the deep midwicket by Sean Williams off Luke Jongwe when the home side’s score was 57 for the loss of two wickets.
Shanto scored 21 from 24 deliveries featuring one four.
Debutante opener Tanzid Hasan and second-down Towhid Hridoy powered their team to anchor the victory target. They put on together 69 runs for the unbroken third wicket partnership.
Tanzid Hasan remained unbeaten with 67 runs. His 47-ball innings was belted with eight fours and two sixes.
Hridoy remained unbeaten with 33. He hit five fours and a sixer in his 18-ball windy innings.
Luke Jongwe and Blessing Muzarabani took one wicket apiece.
Zimbabwe lost their early seven wickets for 41 runs.
Fourth-down Clive Madande and seventh-down Wellington Masakadza built the only remarkable partnership for their team scoring together 75 runs in the eight-wicket stand before Madande was cleanly bowled out by Taskin Ahmed when Zimbabwe’s total was 116 for the loss of eight wickets. Madande notched up a polished 43. His 39-ball innings was laced with six fours. Masakadza nit a notable 34. He hit two fours and two sixes in his 38-ball knock before he was run out by Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Opener Joylord Gumbie and one-down Brian Bennett could reach double digit figures scoring 17 and 16 runs respectively.
Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed, right-arm pacer Mohammad Saifuddin and right-arm spinner Mahedi Hasan played the key role in wrecking Zimbabwe innings for a paltry total.
Taskin Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin grabbed three wickets each instead of 14 and 15 runs, while Mahedi Hasan claimed two wickets at the cost of 16 runs. Taskin Ahmed was adjudged the Man of the Match.
