Bangladesh have registered the first one-day series win of 2014 crushing Zimbabwe by 124 runs in the third match in Dhaka.
The hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing 298 for victory, Zimbabwe were bowled out for just 173.
Zimbabwe’s attempt to add more depth to their batting with three changes did not work and the side slumped to a bigger defeat than they did in the first two matches.
Their huge chase stumbled right at the start with both openers taken out by Mashrafe bin Mortaza in a repeat of the last match.
The skipper sent back Vusi Sibanda (9) in his first over while being a bit fortunate with Hamilton Masakadza’s (12) caught behind decision in the following.
Those dismissals set the tone of the match as the Africans could not recover from the initial setback.
After Shafiul Islam, who returned to the side after long absence, left the pitch with an injury, Rubel Hossain shouldered his compatriot’s responsibilities well.
Rubel sent back Timycen Maruma (8) to reduce Zimbabwe to 39 for three, before Brendan Taylor and Solomon Mire tried to take their side out of the woods .
Arafat Sunny sent back Mire (12) to break the 41-run fourth wicket partnership. Taylor (28) followed him in the next over when Shakib Al Hasan trapped him leg before with an arm ball.
Mahmudullah cut short another recovery attempt by Regis Chakabva (14) and skipper Elton Chigumbura. Rubel piled more misery on the tourists snaring the scalp of debutant Peter Moor (2).
Possibilities of a hat-trick emerged when Sunny sent Neville Madziva (11) and Tinashe Panyangara packing in consecutive deliveries.
Chigumbura (53 not out) paired up with Tafadzwa Kamun Gozi to test the Tigers’ patience but the tourists had lost nine wickets by then.
The skipper remained the lone warrior at one end when Sunny bagged his fourth going through the gates of Kamun Gozi (4) to seal the series.
Sunny returned with a career-best 4 for 27 – his second successive four-wicket haul. Mashrafe and Rubel picked up two wickets apiece.
Earlier, Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque set the Bangladesh en route to the huge total with a cracking 121-run opening stand.
The pair’s second successive 100-run partnership got off in style when Tamim bludgeoned a six in the last ball of the first over.
But it was Anamul’s tempo that gained Bangladesh considerable momentum.
Tamim (40) ran himself out for the second straight match but Anamul kept pressing on with Mominul Haque at the other end to add 39 more for the second wicket.
But Mominul (15) and Anamul, who missed out on a century, walked back in quick succession, within seven runs, raising the spectre of a collapse.
In the first over of batting powerplay, Kamun Gozi earned Anamul’s scalp for a catch to Shingi Masakadza (sub) after the batsman scored 95 off 120 balls with nine boundaries.
Bangladesh lost momentum for a while after the openers were back in the hutch, scoring just 27 runs in the powerplay. But then Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim stepped on the gas adding 72 off 48 balls in the fourth wicket stand.
Both Shakib (40 off 33) and Mushfiq (33 off 22) were sent back in the same over by Panyangara after the pair smashed 18 runs in a Sibanda over.
However, allrounders Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman came together to add another 46 off 30 balls.
Sabbir scored 22 off 13 balls before he fell to Madziva in the penultimate over. Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 33 off 26 balls that included five boundaries.
After the Shakib-Mushfiq efforts, Mahmudullah and Sabbir’s onslaught helped the Tigers add 103 runs in the last 10 overs.
Panyangara bagged two wickets for Zimbabwe.
Anamul was adjudged Man of the Match.
This is the 16th series win for Bangladesh, and their eighth against Zimbabwe.
Source: Bd news24
