Bangladesh suffered a severe 99-run defeat against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tri-series held in Abu Dhabi. Despite promising early displays in both bowling and batting, the Tigers were unable to maintain their early advantage as the opposition took total command of the fixture.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Bangladesh experienced an extraordinary start with the new ball. Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed proved virtually unplayable in the early stages, single-handedly destabilizing Zimbabwe’s top order by claiming three quick wickets during the powerplay overs.
Taskin opened the contest with a maiden over and struck on the final delivery with a sharp inswinger to trap Brian Bennett leg-before for a duck. In his third over, Taskin trapped Ben Curran leg-before for 6 off 11 deliveries. Shortly after, he removed Tafadzwa Tsiga, who made 16 off 15 balls including three boundaries, leaving Zimbabwe struggling early in their innings.
Zimbabwe Rebuilds Through Ervine and Taylor
Despite the early top-order collapse, experienced batters Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor initiated a dramatic recovery. The pair constructed a vital 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket, pulling their side out of danger and shifting the momentum back toward the Rhodesian side.
Saif Hasan eventually broke the dangerous stand by dismissing Taylor for 81. Shortly after, Shoriful Islam removed Ervine, who narrowly missed out on a century after scoring a team-high 93 runs. Bangladesh managed brief control as Sikandar Raza fell for 4, Wessly Madhevere for 17, and Brad Evans for 5.
However, useful unbeaten late-order contributions from Wellington Masakadza and Newman Nyamhuri, who both scored 21 runs, elevated Zimbabwe to a competitive total of 271 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. Taskin Ahmed led the Bangladesh bowling attack with figures of 3 for 44, while Shoriful Islam took 2 for 47 and Saif Hasan picked up 2 for 17.
Bangladesh Collapses in Run Chase
Chasing 271, Bangladesh began their innings briskly as opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim scored freely. However, Soumya Sarkar struggled to find timing before edging a delivery from Blessing Muzarabani to be dismissed for 9 off 17 balls with the score at 47. Tanzid was later caught at point off Brad Evans after playing a bright knock of 46 off 38 deliveries.
The Tigers suffered a total batting collapse, losing all ten wickets within a span of just 125 runs. Najmul Hossain Shanto was trapped leg-before by Evans for 4 just three balls after Tanzid’s departure. Saif Hasan and Towhid Hridoy attempted to steady the chase with a 29-run stand, but Hridoy was given out leg-before for 13 off 21 balls following a successful review by Sikandar Raza.
- Mosaddek Hossain missed the line against Wellington Masakadza and was trapped leg-before for 11, with a review failing to overturn the decision.
- Saif Hasan was caught behind off Masakadza after scoring a team-second-best 26 runs.
- Nurun Hasan Sohan misdirected a big shot off Evans to be caught near the boundary for 5 runs.
- Shoriful Islam failed to score, departing for a 4-ball duck as the innings crumbled.
Rishad Hossain and Taskin Ahmed added 32 runs for the ninth wicket to delay the inevitable. Rishad scored 23 off 33 balls before falling, while Taskin remained unbeaten on 16 alongside Mustafizur Rahman, who added 6. Bangladesh were ultimately bowled out for 172 in 42.2 overs.
Craig Ervine with his 93 and Brad Evans with his magnificent bowling figures of 4 for 45 effectively snatched the match away from Bangladesh’s hands. Sikandar Raza took 2 for 28 and Wellington Masakadza claimed 2 for 18 as Zimbabwe sealed a comfortable 99-run win.
