Sports / Cricket
Bangladesh levels the series againt Zimbabwe
12 May 2013 at 12:38hrs | Views
The Bangladesh spinners imposed themselves on Zimbabwe as they successfully defended a moderate total to register a 34-run win. Shakib Al Hasan was the hero with bat and ball, helping the visitors to draw the Twenty20 series.
Zimbabwe's batting never really took off after Vusi Sibanda was out in the seventh over. Sibanda made 32 off 19 balls, and Raza's 30-ball 32 was the next-most significant score for the hosts.
The visitors ended up on the same total as Zimbabwe did in the first game, although this looked like a slower wicket. But the middle-order wasted a fine start. From 86 for 1 in the 9th over, Bangladesh were 126 for 5 at the start of the 15th over.
When Shakib and Tamim were at the crease, Bangladesh were looking at a bigger score. They got together after Shamsur fell in the first over but wasted little time, smacking 14 boundaries in the first 10 overs. Shakib made 40 off 28 and Tamim 43 off 30 balls.
Both batsmen fell trying to slog and the captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and his deputy, Mahmudullah, departed soon after. Mushfiqur, in what may be his last match as captain - the BCB plans to persuade him to stay on - was unlucky to be given leg-before to a ball heading down the leg side. Mahmudullah, however, gave a soft catch to cover, and the four-wicket collapse also meant that there were no boundaries for 26 deliveries between the 12th and 15th overs.
Only a 36-run sixth-wicket stand between Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque helped them cross the 150-run mark. For Zimbabwe, Utseya took 2 for 15 in his four overs, the fourth time in his career that he finished with an economy rate of less than four runs an over. Brian Vitori, too, was economical but the other Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with their length.
Zimbabwe's batting never really took off after Vusi Sibanda was out in the seventh over. Sibanda made 32 off 19 balls, and Raza's 30-ball 32 was the next-most significant score for the hosts.
The visitors ended up on the same total as Zimbabwe did in the first game, although this looked like a slower wicket. But the middle-order wasted a fine start. From 86 for 1 in the 9th over, Bangladesh were 126 for 5 at the start of the 15th over.
Both batsmen fell trying to slog and the captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and his deputy, Mahmudullah, departed soon after. Mushfiqur, in what may be his last match as captain - the BCB plans to persuade him to stay on - was unlucky to be given leg-before to a ball heading down the leg side. Mahmudullah, however, gave a soft catch to cover, and the four-wicket collapse also meant that there were no boundaries for 26 deliveries between the 12th and 15th overs.
Only a 36-run sixth-wicket stand between Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque helped them cross the 150-run mark. For Zimbabwe, Utseya took 2 for 15 in his four overs, the fourth time in his career that he finished with an economy rate of less than four runs an over. Brian Vitori, too, was economical but the other Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with their length.
Source - cricinfo
