Zimbabwe scored 131 all out. It is definitely a good score after being reduced to 3/10 by third over. Waller played a blinder blasting 68 in only 31 deliveries with 4 fours and 6 sixes. Mashrafe, Al-Amin, Mustafiz and Jubair took two wickets each while Nasir and Riyad grabbing the other two. Perhaps Mashrafe was a little mixed up with the shuffling of his bowlers. Three pacers in 11.3 overs took 5 wickets for 46 while three spinners bowled 8 overs giving away 67 runs. It is not an easy target. Bangladesh has to bat well.
Bangladesh have considered 131-run to visiting Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur in city on Friday.
Malcolm Waller scored a destructive 68-run off 31-ball after Mashrafe Mortaza and Al-Amin Hossain made early inroads into the Zimbabwe line-up taking three wickets in first three overs giving away only 10-run.
C Ervine and SC Williams scored 20 and 15-run respectively helping the visitors to set fighting 132-run. Three Zimbabwe batsmen went back to pavilion without disturbing the scorer.
Mashrafe, debutant leggie Jubair Hossain, Mustafizur and Al-Amin took two wickets each while Nasir and Mahmudullah took one wicket each.
Earlier, Tiger Captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and decided to bowl first in the day-night match began at 5:00pm local time.
After whitewashing the visitors in the three-match ODI series, confident Bangladesh will be keen to keep the winning momentum going in the T20I series as well while visitors eye comeback after their miserable losses.
Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura said, “Every international game is important. T20 is a format where everyone can express themselves. We have to execute well and hopefully have one in the bag, especially in the first one”.
Bangladesh Team
Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Anamul Haque, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim†, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza*, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Jubair Hossain
Zimbabwe Team
Sikandar Raza, RW Chakabva†, E Chigumbura*, CR Ervine, SC Williams, MN Waller, TS Chisoro, T Panyangara, N Madziva, LM Jongwe, AG Cremer
** Tigers bowling against Zimbabwe
BDST: 1755 HRS, NOV 13, 2015
SR/SMS
