Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CATCHES win matches is one of cricket’s oldest sayings, and Zimbabwe were left to rue that reality after dropping an incredible six chances as Bangladesh levelled the T20 International series 1-1 with a 34-run victory at Queens Sports Club yesterday.
Bangladesh posted 186/5 before bowling Zimbabwe out for 152 in 19.4 overs.
Milton Shumba in particular, had a day to forget, dropping four catches.
Brad Evans and Dion Myers put down one each. The biggest beneficiary was Saif Hassan. He was dropped five times on his way to a match-winning 55 off 45 balls.
The Chevrons’ fielding collapse allowed Bangladesh to recover from several missed opportunities and post a challenging 186/5 in their 20 overs before bowling out Zimbabwe for 152 in 19.4 overs.
Tanzid Hasan added 58 from 44 deliveries as Bangladesh’s opening pair shared a match-defining 120-run partnership.
Captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to bowl, hoping his pace attack could exploit the conditions, but the missed opportunities handed Bangladesh the momentum.
Zimbabwe’s fielding woes began as early as the third over (2.2) when Shumba failed to hold on to a difficult chance at mid-off off Raza, handing his first reprieve as the ball raced away for four.
Just one over later, at 3.2, Shumba was again involved as he grassed another opportunity offered by Hassan at extra cover off Richard Ngarava. Hassan, who had mistimed a drive, was handed a second life as Zimbabwe’s frustration began to mount. His third escape came in the fifth over (4.4) when Evans shelled a catch at deep square leg off Blessing Muzarabani after the opener miscued a flick.
Zimbabwe’s catching problems spread beyond Hassan in the eighth over (7.1) when Dion Myers failed to hold on to a difficult diving chance at long-on after Tanzid Hasan mistimed a slog sweep off Ryan Burl. Shumba’s difficult day continued in the 12th over (11.6) when he put down Saif Hassan for the third time. Sprinting to his right, he got both hands to a top-edged pull off Evans but could only parry the ball towards the boundary.
The final over summed up Zimbabwe’s fielding misery when Shumba dropped his fourth catch of the innings in the last ball of the 20th over, failing to hold on to a skier from Mohammad Saifuddin at backward point off Evans, allowing Bangladesh to squeeze out valuable late runs.
Man of the match Saifuddin admitted that Zimbabwe’s dropped catches played a major role in shaping Bangladesh’s innings.
“Obviously, at the start a couple of catches were dropped by the Zimbabwe cricketers, so it was good for us. Hopefully, in Sunday the same thing again because we want to win the series,” he said.
The Bangladesh opener said missed opportunities often change the momentum of a match.
“Every format, catch is very important. First, two or three catches were missed, so the momentum shifted to our team.”
Zimbabwe bowling consultant Quinton Friend acknowledged that the dropped catches changed the complexion of the contest but praised his bowlers for creating opportunities.
“When you drop five catches in that short space of time, you’re probably under pressure straight away. You hold on to those chances, it’s a totally different ball game,” said Friend.
“I thought we actually did really good work. We created chances, unfortunately those went down.”
Friend said Zimbabwe were still in control despite the missed opportunities, pointing out that Bangladesh had reached 119 without loss after 15 overs, but had not completely dominated the game.
“We actually did an exceptional job to pull it back. You’re thinking if you could hold them to 160 or 165, you’ve got a really good chance.”
However, Bangladesh’s late surge proved decisive, with Mohammad Saifuddin smashing an unbeaten 31 from just 10 balls, including four sixes, while Brad Evans conceded 28 runs in the final over as the visitors reached 186/5.
Friend admitted the final over hurt Zimbabwe’s chances.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t deal with that pressure well enough towards the back end of the innings. Twenty-eight off the last over is a bit of a killer.”
He, however, refused to blame Shumba despite the fielder’s difficult day.
“It’s not about dropping catches on purpose, but we have to be better. We have to be better as a group when it comes to fielding because that’s the make or break when you’re wanting to win T20 internationals.”
Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a disastrous start as they lost three wickets for just 21 runs inside the opening three overs. Brian Bennett provided a brief spark with 11 from five balls, while captain Raza struck a quickfire 28 from 12 deliveries.
Burl added 29 and Evans contributed 25, but Zimbabwe never recovered after losing wickets at regular intervals.
Bangladesh spinner Rishad Hossain tore through the middle order with 4/26, while Mahedi Hasan claimed 3/24 as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 152 in 19.4 overs.
The defeat ended Zimbabwe’s hopes of sealing the series with a match to spare and sets up a winner-takes-all final encounter at the same venue tomorrow.
