Sports Reporter
The Bangladesh batsmen cooked up yet another debacle as they suffered a 38-run loss to Zimbabwe in the opening match of the Grameenphone Tri-nation Cup cricket tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
Chasing only 206 for a win, the batting dipped to a new low when they were bowled out for 167 runs in 46.2 overs in reply to Zimbabwe’s fighting 205 for nine. The visitors bowled and fielded out of their skins to win a one-day match against a Test nation after more than a year. Bangladesh have virtually been knocked out of the tournament as they now need to beat Sri Lanka in their only remaining match.
Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya, who opened the bowling, was immediately rewarded when his second delivery trapped Zunaed Siddiqui leg-before for a duck. The think-tank tinkered with the line-up again sending Mushfiqur Rahim to bat at three, but he misjudged a straight Ed Rainsford delivery and was bowled, also for a duck.
Then began the ordeal, that is, the Tamim Iqbal-Mohammad Ashraful partnership. Both tried to break the shackles many times; eventually the third wicket fell in the most horrendous manner.
They badly misjudged a second run when long-on fieldsman Vusimuzi Sibanda slightly fumbled the ball but the accurate throw made sure Tamim was miles from safety. As if that was not enough, Ashraful charged Utseya a ball later and found Sibanda at long-on. Ashraful out for eighteen, Bangladesh became 33 for four.
Shakib Al Hasan, who earlier took three for 23, rebuilt the innings with Rokibul Hasan with a 59-run fifth wicket stand but the latter was deceived by Keith Dabengwa’s flight in the 26th over. Next over the multi-skilled Mehrab Hossain unnecessarily charged Ray Price only to be stumped by Tatenda Taibu.
Shakib again was the lone ranger, striking three boundaries in his 66-ball knock of 52 runs and it was his dismissal, aptly by the match-winner Elton Chigumbura that was the last straw for the Tigers. The Zimbabwean all-rounder ran out Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in addition to his brilliant half-century that essentially changed the course of the match.
Chigumbura smashed five fours and a six in his 95-ball knock of 64 but more importantly, he took 20 off the final over of the innings, bowled by Mahbubul Alam who gave away 66 runs on his debut.
Chigumbura apart, Stuart Matsikenyeri also took the Zimbabwe innings forward with 39 but the rest struggled in front of Shakib and Nayeem Islam, who also took three wickets.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
