ZIMBABWE had a solid start but quickly lost their footing before succumbing to Bangladesh by eight wickets in the first Twenty20 International match played at Harare Sports Club on Thursday afternoon.
Regis Chakabva, Dion Myers and Wessly Madhevere played dashing innings to take the home team to 91 for two after 10 overs, but from that point, the batting slumped as they went on to fold for 152 with an over to go.
In Mustafizur Rahman’s first over, Marumani played a superb pick-up shot from a length ball that went for six over midwicket.
The pair put on 64 in just over six overs before Madhevere miscued a drive and gave a return catch to Shakib Al Hasan, and it was 74 for two in the ninth over.
Tarisai Musakanda came and went for six given lbw to Sarkar in the 14th over. Myers was also dismissed in the same over for 35, bowled off-stump as he aimed a shot across the line.
In the following over Richard, Ngarava was bowled without scoring by a perfect yorker from Rahman and Blessing Muzarabani was almost out the first ball, edging a delivery, but Nurul Hasan sportingly signalled that he had not completed a clean catch when he dived.
The Zimbabwe bowlers made a good start, with only nine runs being scored off the first three overs.
Mohammad Naim hit three fours off the next over from Ngarava, and then Soumya Sarkar smashed Luke Jongwe’s first ball for six.
Zimbabwe’s hopes of pulling off a surprise disappeared when Ngarava bowled a poor over while a couple of misfields gave away runs.
Muzarabani, who had earlier been the most reliable bowler, taking the penultimate over, bowled a full toss that Hasan clipped over fine leg for six.
Off the fifth delivery, Naim lofted the ball over mid-off for four to win the match for Bangladesh by eight wickets with seven deliveries to spare.
The only bowlers able to exert any control over the batsmen were Muzarabani, with 3.5 overs for 19 runs, and Masakadza, whose three overs cost 20 runs.
