Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo
ZIMBABWE dropped 10 catches across the final two matches as they surrendered a series that had been firmly within their grasp, losing the deciding T20 International to Bangladesh by four wickets at Queens Sports Club yesterday.
After opening the series with a convincing 32-run victory, the Chevrons let their advantage slip through six dropped catches in the second match and another four in the decider as Bangladesh recovered to win the series 2-1.
It was the only prize still available to the tourists after Zimbabwe had beaten them by an innings and 85 runs in the one-off Test in Harare and claimed the One-Day International series 2-1.
But the Chevrons could not complete a dominant home tour.
Their fielding failures were compounded by an inconsistent batting display as Bangladesh successfully chased 144, reaching 144 for six with two balls remaining.
Zimbabwe had opted to bat first but struggled to build partnerships outside a 120-run contribution from Dion Myers and Brian Bennett.
Myers top-scored with a composed 73 and Bennett made 47, but no other Zimbabwe batter reached double figures as the hosts closed on a modest 143 for seven.
Taskin Ahmed led Bangladesh’s attack with three wickets for 27, while Mahedi Hasan claimed two for 25 as Zimbabwe failed to find the late acceleration they needed.
The final five overs produced only 34 runs.
Richard Ngarava gave Zimbabwe an ideal start with the ball when he removed Saif Hassan for four in the opening over, but Tanzid Hasan held the Bangladesh chase together with an unbeaten 66 from 58 deliveries.
Parvez Hossain Emon and captain Towhid Hridoy both made 24 as the tourists remained in control before Zimbabwe threatened a late fightback.
Ngarava finished with two wickets for 20, while Sikandar Raza and Brad Evans also claimed two wickets each.
But Zimbabwe again failed to support their bowlers in the field, allowing Bangladesh to escape at crucial moments.
Tanzid remained calm through the late pressure before Mahedi struck the winning boundary to complete Bangladesh’s turnaround.
Zimbabwe coach Justin Sammons did not hide his frustration after watching his side lose a series he believed they should have won.
“This is one we should have won, and we’ve got ourselves to blame,” he said.
“In that second game, if we take our catches, the game is done and dusted.
“We’ve seen what happens with their batting, so that’s why it’s just so frustrating, because we shouldn’t have lost this 2-1.”
Sammons said Zimbabwe’s fielding had cost them the series after the bowlers repeatedly created opportunities.
“The obvious is the fielding. That’s the first point,” he said.
“If you’re dropping catches like that throughout the series, then you don’t deserve to win the series. That’s the bottom line. You’ve got to be taking your chances.
“I thought the bowlers were superb throughout. They created chances, they kept creating chances and they kept us in all the games.
“They’re certainly not at fault, but they need to be backed up in the field, which they weren’t.”
Zimbabwe’s batting also failed to produce consistently across the series.
Myers and Bennett carried the innings yesterday, leaving the rest of the side to contribute only 23 runs, including extras.
Sammons admitted that 143 was below par and left Zimbabwe needing an almost faultless display with the ball and in the field.
“With the bat, we haven’t fired as a batting unit,” he said.
“We’ve had bits and pieces from Dion, Brian and Brad at the end in a couple of games, but we’ve not really clicked as a batting unit.
“Today, 143 wasn’t going to be enough. It was below par.
“Obviously, everything had to go right with the ball, and we believed we could defend it, but it was still below par.
“The last five overs, we scored maybe 34 runs, so that’s where we let ourselves down in terms of finishing the innings with the bat.”
Bangladesh captain Hridoy praised his side for recovering from the opening defeat and finding a way to win the series.
“As a T20 unit, we have done really well in the last couple of series, home and away,” he said.
“But as a whole group, we still need to improve in some areas. We are focusing match by match and series by series.”
For Zimbabwe, however, the series will be remembered for the chances they failed to take.
They entered the T20Is with an opportunity to complete a commanding tour after winning the Test and ODI honours.
Instead, 10 dropped catches across two matches allowed Bangladesh to recover from 1-0 down and leave Bulawayo with the final prize.
Colletta Dube