Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
BANGLADESH arrived in Zimbabwe hoping to roar.
Instead, they have spent most of the tour on the ropes.
Today at Queens Sports Club, the Chevrons have the chance to land the knockout punch.
Having already defeated the visitors in the one-off Test and claimed the One-Day International series 2-1, Zimbabwe are now just 20 overs away from securing yet another series after winning the opening T20 International by 32 runs.
A victory this afternoon would hand Sikandar Raza’s men an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, leaving Bangladesh facing the prospect of returning home empty-handed across all three formats. Momentum is firmly in Zimbabwe’s corner.
The opening T20 had everything the home fans wanted to see. Brian Bennett once again showed why he is regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s brightest young stars, blazing 44 at the top of the order before Ryan Burl and Brad Evans provided the late fireworks to lift the hosts to a competitive 170 for six. Then came the main event.
Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava turned Queens Sports Club into their personal playground.
With pace, bounce and relentless accuracy, the towering fast bowlers ripped through Bangladesh’s batting line-up, sharing eight wickets and reducing a dangerous batting order to mere passengers.
Bangladesh simply had no answers.
Now they have no room for error either.
Lose today and the series is over.
That desperation could make the tourists dangerous, but it could also play into Zimbabwe’s hands if the hosts strike early once again.
The Chevrons, meanwhile, look like a team growing in confidence with every outing. There is belief throughout the squad, with different players producing match-winning performances at different stages of the tour.
If that trend continues today, Zimbabwe could complete a remarkable clean sweep of Bangladesh across all three formats and underline their growing strength on home soil.
Bongani Ndlovu