Bangladesh managed to eke out a five-run win in the fourth match of their five-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe despite a poor performance to go 4-0 up in the series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim鈥檚 second T20I fifty, scoring a 37-ball 52 lacing seven fours and one maximum, along with Soumya Sarkar鈥檚 34-ball 41, saw Bangladesh get an opening partnership of 101 runs but then their middle-order faltered, leading to getting bowled out for 143.
Nonetheless, they managed to defend that moderate total successfully as Shakib Al Hasan picked up 4-35, while IPL returnee Mustafizur Rahman, the player of the match, claimed 3-19. Taskin Ahmed took 2-20. 听
Jonathan Campbell scored the highest for the visitors with 31 off 27 balls and with the ball, Luke Jongwe was the standout bowler picking up 3-20.
Chasing the small total, Zimbabwe found life difficult early on as they were down to 57-4 in 9.2 overs.
However, the visitors fought back to curb the early damage courtesy of Ryan Burl and Campbell鈥檚 35-run fifth-wicket stand.
Burl, who could have been out on one but went on courtesy of Jaker Ali fumbling a skier, fell to Mustafizur for 19 after Soumya completed a brilliant diving catch running in from long-on.
However, Campbell kept going as he hit a four and two maximums before Shakib had him on the first ball of the 17th over.
That should have been that for Zimbabwe but they stayed in the game as Wellington Masakadza smashed Shakib for a four and a six in that over, and then when Shakib returned to bowl the final over, a six from Blessing Muzarabani saw the visitors needing six from the last three balls.
However, they couldn鈥檛 make it as Shakib got Muzarabani stumped in the next ball before bowling Richard Ngrava in the next to bowl Zimbabwe out for 138. 听
Earlier in the day, sent in to bat, Bangladesh made a flying start as their openers Soumya and Tanzid shared the third-best opening partnership in T2OIs for the Tigers adding 101 in 68 balls.
Tanzid, fresh from an unbeaten 67 off 47 balls in the series opener in Chattogram, reached his fifty off 36 balls with the help of seven fours and one maximum.
On the contrary, Soumya, who returned from a knee injury, managed to hit three fours and two sixes for his 34-ball 41.
The partnership was broken when Jongwe got Tanzid to give a catch to Campbell in the second delivery of the 12th over. Four balls later, Soumya was trapped LBW by the same bowler.
From there on, it was a sorry picture for Bangladesh as in-coming Towhid Hridoy, who scored 57 in the third game, was out for 12 off eight balls to Sikandar Raza, leaving the Tigers at 121-3.
Shakib, who made his return to the T20I side following a ten-month hiatus, failed as Brian Bennet rattled his stumps on one.
Following that, wickets in regular intervals saw Bangladesh getting bowled out for just 143.
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