Bangladesh seal T20I series against Zimbabwe
A fifty from Tanzid Hasan helped Bangladesh to clinch the three-match T20I series 2-1 after a dramatic four-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in the third match at the Queens Sports Park in Bulawayo on Sunday.
Chasing Zimbabwe’s 143-7, Bangladesh needed only five runs from the last six balls with six wickets remaining. Brad Evans then removed Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin in two consecutive deliveries to keep things interesting.
A dead-ball call from the umpire denied Evans a probable hattrick before Mahedi smashed a four to seal Bangladesh’s victory with two balls remaining. Tanzid remained unbeaten on 66 runs from 58 balls, while hitting one four and four sixes.
After losing the one-off Test and the three-match ODI series, Bangladesh thus ended the tour on a positive note by winning the T20I series, that too, despite losing the first match.
Tanzid and Parvez Hossain, however, struggled in the powerplay after Saif Hassan’s early departure, who was caught off Ngarava in the first over while forcing a pull shot. Only three boundaries were hit in the first six overs as Bangladesh amassed 30 runs.
The duo picked up some pace after the powerplay as before Parvez, making 24 from 22, fell to Raza, as the partnership of 55 runs from 47 balls was broken.
Tanzid went to add another 63 runs from 44 deliveries with his skipper Towhid Hridoy, this time with a better pace, before the latter fell for 24 from 19.
While Zimbabwe were sloppy in the field, Raza took a sharp return catch to see the back of his Bangladeshi counterpart, but that seemed too little too late for the hosts.
Tanzid, after completing his 13th fifty in 45 balls, held one end, but Yasir fell from the other end when Marumani took a super diving catch off Ngarava with Bangladesh needing only seven runs, before Evans produced another late drama of the series.
Earlier, Taskin Ahmed conceded only 12 runs from three overs inside the powerplay as Zimbabwe managed 40 runs in the first six overs after Mahedi Hasan struck early to remove Tadiwanashe Marumani for the second successive matches.
While Brian Bennett and Dion Myers built a partnership after that early blow, Bangladesh bowlers kept them quite for the most of the time.
Saifuddin broke the 71-run partnership from 55 balls when he bowled Bennett for 47 from 38 in the 11th over.
While Myers accelerated from one end after that, he didn’t get much support from others. Rishad Hossain removed Sikandar Raza, who was playing his 314th match across the formats-the highest for Zimbabwe, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain had Ryan Burl.
Zimbabwe amassed only 16 runs from the last three overs while losing three wickets. Myers made 73 from 53 with seven fours and three sixes, before he was run-out in the last over.
Taskin remained wicketless but bowled an economical spell as he conceded 16 runs from four overs. The remaining four bowlers were among the wickets with Saifuddin picking up two for 35 runs.
