Bangladesh 165 for 5 (Hridoy 57, Jaker 44, Muzarabani 3-14) Zimbabwe 156 for 9 (Akram 34*, Marumani 31, Saifuddin 3-40) by 9 runs.
Akram, playing only his fifth T20I, hit an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls after the visitors fell to 91 while chasing 166. The 54 runs he added with Wellington Masakadza was a new Zimbabwe record for the ninth wicket. Akram’s 34 is also the highest score by Zimbabwe’s number 10 batsman.
Muzarabani, who had previously achieved career-best figures of 3 for 14, took 2 for 4 when Zimbabwe needed 21 in the final over. However, Saifuddin solved the problem by bowling accurate death overs.
Bangladesh is suffering because of Litton’s scoop
Litton Das chose the oddest shot sequence to get out in the fourth over. He missed two lap scoops against Muzarabani before his third successive attempt dragged the ball onto his stumps. It is unclear whether Litton, who is already in poor form in white-ball cricket this year, will be included in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup squad. This innings is unlikely to help his case.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was also bowled cheaply by opposite number Sikandar Raza with some variation. Shanto’s lack of footwork will be a concern for the team. This is a long-term concern, but immediate concern arose when Tanzid Hasan fell while trying to slacken Faraz Akram in the bottom of the ninth. Bangladesh were missing their established batsmen and were hovering at a mediocre scoring rate.
Hridoy rescues Jaker
The fourth wicket pair hit boundaries in the first 3.3 overs before Jaker and Hridoy took Raza for two sixes in the space of three balls. The first was a straight hit before Hridoy struck a bigger blow into the mid-wicket stand.
But in the 15th over, Zimbabwe broke Luke Jongwe and Jaker came to life as Johnathan Campbell and Brian Bennett looked at each other. Hridoy left Masakadza for his second six in the 16th over and reached his maiden T20I fifty in the 18th over. Jaker hit Jongwe with a big six not long after.
Hridoy’s scoop was also connected in the second over as Bangladesh neared 150. Litton attempted the same shot three times in a row, the third of which was his sack. This showed the difference in trust between Litton and Hridoy.
Muzarabani’s best skills allow Zim to continue the hunt.
But Muzarabani caused a bit of an anti-climax when his yorker hit Hridoy’s leg stump the next ball. It was an excellent delivery that went through Hridoy’s bat and pad as he tried to swing the ball towards the leg side.
After Hridoy was out, Jaker dropped a ball and another full delivery from Muzarabani hit his stumps. Muzarabani’s three hits kept Zimbabwe at a decent score. It was also a reward for fast bowlers who were accurate despite their attempts at variation.
A familiar top-level collapse
For the third match in a row, Zimbabwe lost their first four wickets with less than 50 runs scored. Joylord Gumbie mistimed a 1 for 3 in the third over before Tanzim Hasan Sakib caught Bennett and bowled him in the fifth over. Zimbabwe’s powerplay ended when Craig Ervine fell to Saifuddin for 7.
Raja, who has reached the 50s for five consecutive years since November 2023, has also struggled to find form. He fell one point behind Rishad Hossain with his fifth consecutive low score.
#10 Akram’s Surprise
Tadiwanashe Marumani fell for a 26-ball 31 while Clive Madande added 11. Campbell, who struck the ball cleanly on his debut in the last match, hit Tanvir Islam for two successive sixes before finding Litton for his third successive attempt. Deep square leg boundary.
Defeat seemed imminent for the visitors when Jongwe fell to Rishad in the 15th over, but Akram hit Rishad for 26 at late midwicket before finding two more fours off Saifuddin in the 17th over. Taskin dropped a difficult chance from Masakadza in the 18th over but came back strongly to concede just six runs in the second over.
The 20th over started with Saifuddin removing Masakadza off the first ball, but Muzarabani hit two consecutive fours. This reduced the target to 13 after just three balls, but there was no more heroism left in Zimbabwe’s tail. They fell nine points short despite a great effort.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
