Younger group with the ball, veterans with the bat. In the opening match of the tri-series in Abu Dhabi, Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh by 99 runs thanks to a strong team effort. In their 40s, Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor saved Zimbabwe from a dire situation, setting them up for a 271 for 8 total.
Then, the Bangladeshi batting lineup was severely damaged by the fast-bowling attack. Brad Evans claimed four wickets, while spinners Wellington Masakadza and Sikandar Raza each claimed two; Newman Nyamhuri and Blessing Muzarabani each claimed one. It was Raza’s first ODI victory as captain.
Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh by 99 runs
However, Ervine and Taylor, two other members of Raza’s 40s club, were the ones who really changed things. After they added 150 runs for the fourth wicket, the Zimbabwe innings owed much to the seasoned pair. After Zimbabwe fell to 24 for 3 in the seventh over, this occurred. In a masterful new-ball spell, Taskin Ahmed eliminated Zimbabwe’s top three. For the first five balls of the game, he gave Brian Bennett a working over before dismissing him with the sixth delivery.
Before debutant Tafadzwa Tsiga skied a top-edged pull, Taskin had Ben Curran with a similar delivery, but that went the other way to the left-handed opener. Instead of panicking, Ervine and Taylor sought to rebuild the Zimbabwe innings by finding regular boundaries.
They used a series of boundaries to attack the Bangladeshi pacers before successfully using the sweep against the spinners. In particular, Ervine frequently used the reverse-sweep.
Taylor last scored an ODI half-century against Pakistan in 2020, so this was his first in six years. For Zimbabwe, he had already surpassed Andy Flower’s record for the most runs in the format. After they reached 150 runs for the fourth wicket, he misplayed a reverse sweep off Saif Hassan and fell the ball.
When Raza mishandled a sweep, wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan caught him down the leg side, giving him a second wicket. Ervine and Wessley Madhevere both hit seven fours in quick succession before falling in a brief spurt as well. Before Nyamhuri and Masakadza blasted 37 runs for the uninterrupted eighth wicket, Zimbabwe’s wheels began to come off after Ervine was caught behind seven shy of a century.
Bangladesh got off to a great start thanks to Tanzid Hasan’s 46 off 38 balls, which included nine fours and a six. As usual, he was excellent square of the wicket, executing his favorite flicks and pulls in addition to cutting and square-driving as he pleased. In the seventh over, however, Bangladesh lost Soumya Sarkar after he edged Muzarabani to second slip, where Bennett made a brilliant catch.
When Tanzid was on 46, Muzarabani misjudged a catch at deep third, costing him his life. However, Tanzid guided the next ball into Ryan Burl’s lap, a substitute fielder. Bangladesh fell to 68 for 3 in the tenth over after Brad Evans broke through Najmul Hossain Shanto’s defenses one ball later.
Zimbabwe gained control of the match when Raza dismissed Towhid Hridoy, his opposite number, in the 17th over. Raza’s delivery drifted back into the batter’s back leg, trapping Hridoy lbw for 13. Wellington Masakadza, who made excellent use of the left-arm orthadox’s angle with a delivery that held its line after angling in to the right-hander, dismissed Mosaddek Hossain leg before wicket.
After catching Saif behind for 26, Masakadza added a second, and when Evans was brought back into the attack, he had a double-wicket over. It’s interesting to note that Raza abruptly changed his mind just as he was about to bowl the 28th over. With the short ball, Evans got rid of Nurul and Shoriful Islam, who both hit out in the deep.
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When Rishad Hossain holed out at long-on, Raza claimed his 100th wicket in ODIs. Rishad made 23 off 33 balls, including four boundaries in a Nyamhuri over. After Mustafizur Rahman was caught and bowled to end the match, Evans shook hands with the Bangladesh No. 11 right away.
Bangladesh 172 (Tanzid 46, Evans 4-45) lost to Zimbabwe 271 for 8 (Ervine 93, Taylor 81, Taskin 3-44) by 99 runs.
