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Don Makanyanga-Sports Reporter
AN eighth-wicket partnership between Clive Madande and Wellington Masakadza rescued Zimbabwe from a humiliating total following a collapse of the batting order inside the opening 10 overs.
However, their efforts were in vain as went on to lose the opening T20 match between the sides by eight wickets at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday. The duo piled on 75 runs off 65 balls with Madande top-scoring for Zimbabwe with 43 runs from 39 balls.
It was the 24-year-old batter’s second-highest T20I score while Masakadza’s 34 off 38 balls was his career best in the same format.
Debutant Joylord Gumbie was the third-best run scorer for Zimbabwe with 17 runs with Brian Bennet concluding the list of the Chevrons’ players to record double figures.
Interestingly, the Zimbabwe senior players led by captain Sikandar Raza, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Ryan Burl were all dismissed for ducks.
The trio of seasoned campaigners Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava could only make two, one and two runs respectively.
Bangladesh won the toss and sent Zimbabwe to bat as Bangladesh seamer Taskin Ahmed putting in a Player-of-the-Match performance with the ball.
It was a fluctuating performance by the Zimbabwe batting order as Ahmed claimed three wickets for 14 runs as claimed the crucial wickets of Williams, Madande and Burl.
The 29-year-old bowled out the duo of Williams and Madande while Burl was caught by Rishad Hossain at backward point.
Gumbie started the match brilliantly, taking eight runs off the first over, and watched former Zimbabwe skipper Ervine who was dismissed with the second of ball of the second over for a duck.
Ervine was bowled out by Mahedi Hasan with his wicket signaling the start of Zimbabwe’s collapse.
Gumbie followed Ervine to the pavilion, in the third over of the innings, after he was caught by Ahmed off the bowling of Mohammad Saifuddin.
Zimbabwe then lost their top and middle order in quick succession as five more wickets fell before the innings had reached the halfway mark.
Bangladesh claimed three consecutive wickets in between the last ball of the fifth over and the first two balls of the sixth over.
Gumbie was caught out from the last ball of the fifth over before Bennet was dismissed through a run-out at the start of the sixth over.
Zimbabwe captain Raza was to follow from the second ball of the sixth over after being caught behind by first slip Litton Das off a Hasan delivery.
Bangladesh claimed the scalps of Williams and Burl with the first two balls of the seventh over before Luke Jongwe was dismissed in the following over.
At this stage, Zimbabwe were 41-7 inside eight overs.
With Zimbabwe in danger of recording the lowest T20I scores by a full member, Madande and Masakadza came to the rescue as they posted a partnership of 75 runs from 65 balls
Interestingly, their stand was the highest eighth-wicket Zimbabwean partnership beating out the previous record of 58 set by Kyle Jarvis and Richard Mutumbami.
Out to defend a total of 124 runs, Zimbabwe had a fine start as Muzarabani bowled out Das in the second over of Bangladesh’s run chase.
The match was temporarily stopped by the rains in the third over of the Bangladesh innings with the hosts on 10 for one.
It was the first of two restarts and the home team added 34 more runs in five overs before the rains returned again
On the second restart, the hosts chased down the target for the loss of two wickets with Jongwe claiming Zimbabwe’s second wicket of the day as Bangladesh finished on 126 for two inside 15.2 overs.
Online Reporter