A strong team performance from Zimbabwe was not enough to earn the southern Africans a victory against a highly professional Bangladesh outfit who continue to impress on the international stage.
Zimbabwe got off to a great start in the second ODI against Bangladesh at Chittagong, losing their second wicket at the end of the 12th over with the score on 70-2.
Brendan Taylor (75 off 73 balls) did the early damage, backed up by Sikandar Raza (49 off 61) and Sean Williams (47 off 76) as Zimbabwe put together a decent score of 246-7 off their 50 overs.
Mohammad Saifuddin (3-45, econ 4.50), Mustafizur Rahman (1-35, econ 3.50) and Nazmul Islam (0-43, econ 4.30) kept the Zimbabwe batters in check.
Liton Das (83 off 77, 12 fours, one six) and Imrul Kayes (90 off 111, seven fours) continued with their good form, adding 148 for the first wicket in 24 overs to put the contest to bed. Mushfiqur Rahim (40 off 52 balls) and Mohammad Mithun (24 off 21) saw their side through to a comfortable victory in the 45th over.
Sikandar Raza took all three Bangladesh wickets to fall for 43 runs in his 10 overs (econ 4.30), while Kyle Jarvis (0-31, econ 3.44) and Donald Tiripano (0-22, econ 4.40) did their bit to try and contain the Bangladesh batters.
Mohammad Saifuddin picked up the Player of the Match award for his three-wicket haul.
‘Winning the toss was crucial. We knew about the dew, but the bowlers were superb. Our openers started very well. This was a good wicket and we knew 270-280 was gettable,’ said Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza.
‘We didn’t manage to kick on after a good start,’ admitted Zimbabwe’s captain, Hamilton Masakadza. “Credit to Bangladesh’s death bowling. We have to grab our chances at this level. Their openers batted us out of the game.’
There is plenty of talent in world cricket at the moment but, judging by their recent form, Bangladesh will certainly be a side to keep an eye on in World Cup 2019.
Zimbabwe 246-7 (Brendan Taylor 75, Sikandar Raza 49, Sean Williams 47, Mohammad Saifuddin 3-45, Mustafizur Rahman 1-35)
Bangladesh 167-2 (Imrul Kayes 90, Liton Das 83, Mushfiqur Rahim 40; Sikandar Raza 3-43)
Bangladesh won by seven wickets with 35 balls in hand
Photo: Munir uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images
