Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Bangladesh failed to seal their twenty20 international series as Zimbabwe beat them by 23 runs in the second match at Harare to level the series 1-1.
Chasing a target of 167, all of the Bangladesh batsmen but debutant Shamim Hossain failed to up the ante as they bundled out for 143 in their innings. Shamim top-scored with 29 off 13 deliveries, whereas Wellington Masakadza and Luke Jongwe picked up three wickets each to wreak havoc in the Bangladesh batting line-up, with Blessing Muzurabani picking up a couple.
Winning the toss, Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza decided to bat first. Mahedi Hasan hit them early in the innings as he rattled Tadiwanashe Marumani’s stumps in the second over.
Regis Chakabva was the next to go as Shakib Al Hasan removed him. After that wicket, Madhevere put up a 57-run stand with Dion Myers, who was sent back by Shoriful.
Madhevere picked up his fifty off 45 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and a six but saw his skipper run out when Soumya Sarkar hit the stumps directly.
Madhevere was finally gone for 73 when Afif Hossain took a good catch off Shoriful’s bowling, but Burl’s cameo meant that Zimbabwe notched up 54 runs from the last five overs.
In reply, Bangladesh were never in the game as they lost wickets regularly, starting with Naim Sheikh in the third over, and Soumya Sarkar followed a couple of balls later.
Mahedi, promoted to no.3, struggled with his timing and eventually holed out to long-off just after both Shakib and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad went back cheaply.
Nurul Hasan Sohan, who played a couple of crucial knocks in the last one-day international and the first T20I, failed to make a similar impact as he was out for nine, reducing Bangladesh to 68 for six.
A quickfire 41-run stand between Shamim and Afif gave Bangladesh some hope, but all of it ended when Shamim played one shot too many, ending his adventurous stint of 29 off 13.
Afif, who struggled with timing throughout his innings, tried to bring Bangladesh back in the game one last time but was dismissed for 24 off 25 deliveries and soon, Bangladesh tumbled out for 143.
Brief Score: Zimbabwe: 166-6 (Madhevere 73, Burl 34*, Shoriful 3-33, Mahedi 1-11)
Bangladesh: 143-10 (Shamim 29, Afif 24, Wellington 3-20, Jongwe 3-31)
