Bulawayo, July 15: Zimbabwe triumphed over Bangladesh by 32 runs in the first match of the T20 series held at Queens Sports Club on Wednesday. This victory gives the host team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Previously, Zimbabwe had won the only Test match against Bangladesh by an innings and 85 runs. They also claimed the three-match ODI series 2-1. Now, the home team aims to secure the T20 series as well, with the next two matches scheduled for July 17 and July 19 at the same venue.
Batting first after losing the toss, Zimbabwe scored 170 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted overs. Opener Brian Bennett partnered with Tadiwanashe Marumani to add 37 runs in just 21 balls.
Marumani was dismissed for 14 runs off 9 balls, after which Bennett formed a 38-run partnership with Dion Myers. Myers scored 20 runs before returning to the pavilion. Captain Sikandar Raza also contributed with an equal score of 20 runs, while Bennett managed to score 44 runs off 30 balls, hitting 7 boundaries. Additionally, Ryan Burl remained unbeaten with 30 runs off 25 balls, including a six and two fours.
For the visiting team, Naheed Rana was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets for 26 runs, while Mohammad Saifuddin claimed 2 wickets for 35 runs.
In response, the Bangladeshi team was bowled out for 138 runs in 19 overs. The opening pair of Saif Hasan and Tanzid Hasan Tamim managed to put together a 25-run partnership for the first wicket. Saif was dismissed for 12 runs, and the team quickly lost 5 wickets for just 78 runs.
Yasir Ali attempted to stabilize the innings, partnering with Mehdi Hasan (19) to add 52 runs for the sixth wicket off 37 balls. However, after the sixth wicket fell at a score of 130, the team could only muster 8 more runs. Yasir Ali scored 54 runs off 38 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 2 fours, but could not lead his team to victory.
From the opposition, Richard Ngarava took 4 wickets for 26 runs, while Blessing Muzarabani also claimed 4 wickets. Milton Shumba added 1 wicket to the tally.
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