Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh suffered their first-ever bileteral series defeat to Zimbabwe, as the hosts won the third and final series-deciding T20 international at the Harare Sports Club Ground by 10 runs on Tuesday.
Mahmudullah, returning to the T20I side following injury to skipper Nurul Hasan, failed to inspire the side to victory after the top-order did not get the Tigers off to a commendable start in chase of 157 runs set by Zimbabwe.
Read more: Tigers lost the series after a 10-run defeat to Zim in the third T20IBangladesh lost Liton Das (15), Anamul Haque Bijoy (14) and Parvez Hossain Emon (2) inside the Powerplay before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudullah stabilised the innings with a 34-run stand for the fourth wicket. After Shanto departed to a scoop shot in the 10th over, Mahmudullah and Afif Hossain contributed with a 39-run stand.
Medium pacer Brad Evans turned the game in his side’s favour, removing Mahmudullah after a run-a-ball 27 and skipper Mosaddek Hossain for a duck in back-to-back deliveries. Afif and Mahedi Hasan carried Tigers’ hope during a 34-run stand. Once Mahedi fell in the 19th over after a 17-ball 22 the equation started getting out of hand. Needing 19 off the last over, Afif, who remained unbeaten on a 27-ball 39 could not produce the necessary big hits as Tigers fell short by 11 runs, reaching 146 for eight. Victor Niyauchi was the top performer with the ball for the hosts, bagging three wickets for 29 runs.
Earlier, Zimbabwe had started positively with the bat after winning the toss. Regis Chakabva struck Nasum Ahmed for a few boundaries before the batter fell to the left-arm spinner in the fourth over, unable to get the connection he wanted as Afif latched on to the catch at cover.
Mahedi Hasan then got wickets of back-to-back deliveries, first removing Wessley Madhevere for five as the batter yorked himself by coming down the ground to see his stumps castled before the dependable Sikandar Raza was holed out to the man at short-fine leg to depart for naught. With Zimbabwe’s run-rate being curbed after the Powerplay, they lost three more wickets with skipper Mosaddek Hossain removing Sean Williams and Mahmudullah then getting Craig Ervine out stumped with his first delivery of the game.
Mustafizur Rahman got the edge of Milton Shumba’s bat with Anamul Haque, in charge of wicket-keeping responsibilities taking a diving catch behind the stumps to restrict Zimbabwe to 67 for 6 in 13 overs.
From that point on, it was the Ryan Burl show as he picked his moment to hit five sixes and a four off a single over by Nasum, who became the Bangladesh bowler to concede most runs in a single over in T20Is. That 34-run over changed the momentum of the game for the hosts as Burl and Luke Jongwe strung together a 79-run seventh-wicket stand. Jongwe was holed out after a 20-ball 35 and Burl powered to a 28-ball 54 before he skied one off Hasan Mahmud to depart in the 19th over as Zimbabwe reached 156 for eight. Spinner Mahedi and pacer Mahmud each got two wickets for 28 runs in their four overs.
