Zimbabwe lose again to Bangladesh

Bangladesh - 251/7 in 50 overs ( Anamul Haque 80, Tamim Iqbal 76;  Tafadzwa Kamungozi2-38, Tinashe Panyangara 2-51)

Zimbabwe - 183 all out in 44.5 overs ( Solomon Mire 50; Arafat Sunny 4-29, Mashrafe Mortaza 3-34)

Bangladesh won by 34 runs.

Bangladesh have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe after a 68-run win in Chittagong on Sunday.

The batting department yet again failed to deliver in a game that had been set up nicely by disciplined bowling.

Chasing 252 runs for victory, Zimbabwe's top order collapsed and was unable to lay a foundation for the run-chase.

Hamilton Masakadza, who has been the major source of runs lately, was dismissed as early the first over, deceived by a Mashrafe Mortaza slow ball that found its way to dislodge Masakadza's timber.

Sikander Raza and Vusimuzi Sibanda attempted to hit their way out of trouble, conjuring up a few quick boundaries but they never really looked settled. Raza (16) top-edged Mortaza's length ball to cover while attempting to turn it round the corner to fine leg.

Sibanda was next to go for 21 as his feet went nowhere to a Mortaza full delivery that cluttered into the stumps.

At 40/3, the expectation was that Brendan Taylor would follow up on his half-century during the last game, but his stay at the crease was brief, as he needlessly attempted an expensive reverse sweep that caught his gloves on its way to first slip for eight.

The only batsman who persevered in difficult circustances was Solomon Mire, as his maiden half-century in only his second outing saved face for the visitors.

 Mire was promoted to come in at five, a move that boggled the mind for many at first given his perceived role as a pinch hitter. Instead Mire demonstrated good tempo and a generally understanding of where his scoring areas are to get to 50 off 79 balls and in 113 minutes.

Regis Chakabva kept Mire for company, and the two put on 65 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership that was good while it lasted before Chakabva found a fielder in the deep for 32.

Mire got out soon after his milestone and from hence forth it became one way traffic for Bangladesh. For a moment, Elton Chigumbura flirted with the idea of ‘a captain's knock' that pulled the game out of the furnace during his 31-ball knock of 38 runs, but a silly run-out involving Chigumbura and Tinashe Panyangara all but put those thought to rest.

For Bangladesh, their captain Mashrafe Mortaza did the early damage with three quick wickets upfront before left arm spinner Arafat Sunny cleaned up the tail to finish with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 29 runs.

Earlier Bangladesh labored to 251/7 in their allotted 50 overs, although at one stage a total of 300 was on the cards for them courtesy of half-centuries from their openers in Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal.

 Haque top-scored with 80 and Iqbal got to 76 before a brilliant run-out by Elton Chigumbura stopped him in his tracks. The two shared 158 runs for the opening stand which justified Bangladesh's decision to bat first.

The rest of the hosts' line up could not capitalize on the start given to them, with Zimbabwe taking wickets at regular intervals to limit Bangladesh's ambitions.

Mominul Haque was the other meaningful contributor with an unbeaten 33. Wicketkeeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim got to 27 before leg-spinner Tafadzwa Kamungozi trapped him in front.

Vusimusi Sibanda, who is slowly making a case to be considered as a handy off-spin bowler, handed Shakib Al Hasan a first-ball duck to remove someone who has been the visitors' chief tormentor.

Fast bowler Tinashe Panyangara continued in his good run of bowling form by removing Anamul Haque and Sabbir Rahman (0) in three balls. Tafadzwa Kamungozi also chipped in with the key wickets of  Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah (12) .

Dhaka will provide the battle ground for the third ODI, with Zimbabwe needing to win it to stay alive. Issues regarding batting will need to be addressed prior to this, notwithstanding penetration with ball in hand