Zimbabwe’s batting line-up mustered a power-packed performance, something they hadn’t done earlier in the series, to keep the series alive with a 31-run win in the third T20 against Bangladesh.
Zimbabwe’s spinners continued to pick wickets, like they had done earlier in the series, and made sure that this time they stifled the hosts to derail the chase around the halfway mark despite their strong start.
Zimbabwe’s batsmen attacked almost throughout the innings and were marshalled by Vusi Sibanda in the beginning and Malcolm Waller later on to put on a challenging 187 after stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza had said the “160-mark” would be decent on this pitch. Tendai Chisoro, Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza took all six wickets and conceded only 40 runs in the 10 overs among them.
Zimbabwe saw useful contributions from their top five batsmen, each of them notching a strike rate of over 120. Sibanda showed his intent from the first ball he faced by charging down to left-arm pacer Abu Hider, one of the four Bangladesh debutants, to drill him through the covers for four. He carved out a pretty wide ‘V’ on both sides of the pitch by dispatching meaty drives and flicks. Masakadza also got going after a slow start, and hammered Mohammad Shahid, another debutant, for four consecutive fours before falling for 20 when he eyed a fifth one.
Hider and Shahid were punished for 45 runs in the first four overs and Sibanda welcomed third debutant Muktar Ali also with a four. Zimbabwe were 59 for 1 when rain interrupted and Shakib Al Hasan had Richmond Mutumbami and Sibanda caught at deep midwicket after the break, in consecutive overs, to drag the run rate from over ten to under eight an over.
Once Waller and Williams set their eyes in by facing about ten balls each, they unfurled a barrage of boundaries to help Zimbabwe collect 85 runs from the last seven overs; six of those for at least ten an over. Mosaddek Hossain dropped Williams on 12 at backward point, but it was Waller who caused more damage. Shahid, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib – all were punished for sixes by Waller before he eventually holed out to deep midwicket, for a 23-ball 49 that also featured two fours. Williams continued till the last over and was helped by some late strikes from Peter Moor too as the Bangladesh bowlers got no respite.
Chisoro dented Bangladesh’s chase in the first over to dismiss Imrul Kayes, playing his first match of the series, for 1. Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman kept the hosts in the hunt on a batsmen-friendly pitch as Sarkar used his wrists to find the gaps and Sabbir targeted the leg side, just like he had done in the second T20, with pulls and slogs. Sabbir mirrored Masakadza by dispatching three straight fours in the sixth over that hauled their run rate over nine per over. Zimbabwe also paid the price of Richmond Mutumbami’s mistake of missing Sarkar’s stumping off Williams’ first ball as he was struck for 12 in the over to unsettle the visitors further.
That didn’t last long, though. Sarkar top-edged a slog sweep for an easy catch to midwicket in Cremer’s first over that broke their most productive and threatening stand, of 67 runs. Masakadza rotated his spinners for the next nine overs that shot up the asking rate and also resulted in wickets. Sabbir brought up a 31-ball fifty with a four in the 11th over but fell two balls later by holing out in the leg side. The spinners choked the chase further as the pressure rose and Bangladesh batsmen continued to give catches.
Their hopes fell on Shakib, but he found Waller at long-on with 86 required from 36, and Mahmudullah top-edged Cremer in the same over to give Mutumbami an easy catch. Nurul Hasan used a few scoops for his 17-ball 30 once the pacers came back and Muktar supported him with 19 from 15 but it wasn’t going to be enough.
Source: Ittefaq
