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Having won the toss at Queens Sports Club, Zimbabwe captain Brandon Taylor predictably decided send Bangladesh in to bat first hoping to capitalise on the morning conditions and Brian Vitori (2-43 in nine overs) returned with two early wickets to dent the visitors batsmen.
The tourists were 247 for the loss of nine wickets at the end of their allotted 50 overs but Zimbabwe reached the target in a fashionable manner doing so with seven wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare.
Following the comprehensive defeat Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim with tears in his eyes emotionally said the remaining two T20 games would be his last in charge, in all formats of the game as “they have played badly” in this series. Vitori was making a return to the Zimbabwe team having last played for his country in February last year.
He had also missed the tour to the West Indies as well as the Test series against Bangladesh and the last two ODIs against the Asians.
Vitori has always enoyed his game against Bangladesh with 13 of his 15 ODI wickets have come against the same opponents.
Mahmudullah top scored for the visitors with an unbeaten 75 that came off 73 balls with five fours and two sixes with his half century arriving after facing 63 balls, scoring 35 of the 36 runs in his ninth wicket stand with Shafuil Islam off 17 balls to register his best ODI career score.
However it was man-of-the-match Sibanda who stole the limelight to lead the chase with an unbeaten 103 that came off 135 which included nine fours plus two sixes and was ably supported by Sean Williams who added 55 runs off 46 deliveries with six fours and a six. The duo batted well for the unbroken fourth wicket partnership that brought up 109 runs in 15.2 overs where Williams also reached his 13th ODI half century in the process and give Zimbabwe a well deserved victory.
The hosts carried on from where they had left on Sunday where they came from behind to level the series with a 6 wicket win and yesterday Zimbabwe upped their game — thanks to a good stand on the wicket from Sibanda who also walked away with the man-of-the-series award.
Williams reached his 50 off 39 balls (five fours and a six) before Sibanda got his milestone off the first ball of the 48th over off a Robiul Islam delivery which he hit for a four edging the length delivery through the vacant slip to get to his century and help Zimbabwe take the series. The win was historic for Zimbabwe in that Steve Mangongo became the first black coach to win an ODI series with Zimbabwe having made several changes to the side.
Yesterday he brought in Vitori for Shingi Masakadza in the bowl attack — and surely the move paid off. Elton Chigumbura had to be withdrawn from the game after bowling just five deliveries in the 11th over having pulled his right hamstring in the run up to the last ball with Hamilton Masakadza having to finish off the over.
Masakadza (41 off 46 deliveries with six fours and a six) was the first to go after he was caught behind by Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim off a Rubiul Islam delivery breaking the opening partnership for 79 runs with the first delivery of the 15th over.
Masakadza tried to play a rather slower ball that tripped the batsman before Sikanda Raza Butt was caught by Nasir Hossain off a Ziaur Rahman delivery in the 31st over after adding 37 runs off 52 balls with four fours.
Raza Butt was caught at cover point after he tried to hit the ball into a the gap but was unfortunate to play it straight to the fielder and it was at the end of the same over that Sibanda reached his half century with a four at long on. It took 87 deliveries for Sibanda to reach the half century that consisted of five fours and a six.
Captain Taylor did not live long on the crease scoring just two runs to leave Zimbabwe on 142 for three after he was caught behind off a Mahmudullah delivery as he tried a reverse sweep but it did not turn out well when the ball caught the top edge of his bat, lobbing to Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladesh were not just good enough to give Zimbabwe a tough time as the hosts sought to better the six wicket win on Sunday though Nasir Hossain chipped in with another half century having scored 63 that included four fours after facing 74 deliveries.
But these two half centuries were all in vain as there was no adequate support from the other batsmen with the Zimbabwe bowl attacking trio of Vitori, Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara getting two wickets apiece with Sean Williams and spinner Prosper Utseya getting one each.
Vitori gave Zimbabwe an early breakthrough after he claimed two early wickets of Mohammad Ashraful for five as he was caught at gully by Sibanda with the first ball of the fourth over. This was the first time Ashraful was facing Vitori and indeed he failed to contain the pacer who added an extra bounce to his delivery and Sibanda was there to take it.
It was with the next delivery that Vitori got his second wicket sending Jahurul Islam packing without a strike, with the full length delivery uprooting the mid-stump as Islam was too slow to cover.
Zimbabwe could have got their third wicket off a Kyle Jarvis delivery but Elton Chigumbura at mid-on somehow dropped Tamim Iqubal on 10 in the fifth over, getting under the ball but it was difficult to understand how it slipped off his hands.
It was from this moment on that Bangladesh began to settle, managed to absorb pressure from the Zimbabwe attack as the hosts tried to look for their third wicket but it was going to take a little while to come.
Utseya claimed Mushfiqur Rahim (32 off 41 deliveries with two four and a six) who was caught by Chatara at deep midwicket to end the third wicket 62-run partnership with Tamim Iqubal.
Iqubal (32 off 70 balls with two fours and a six) who had been dropped on 10 earlier by Chigumbura was caught behind by captain and wicketkeeper Taylor off Chatara leaving his side for 84 for the loss of four wickets.
Bangladesh were 110 for five but recovered well as the sixth wicket partnership of Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah weighed in with a strong 79 with both players respectively adding half centuries to put up 247.
This was before Nasir Hossain’s 63 run stand at the crease after facing 73 deliveries with four fours came to an end having been caught by Taylor, failing to move his feet and tried to flay bat instead nicking to the keeper off a Jarvis delivery in the 43rd over.
Ziaur Rahman (5), and Razzak (4) followed in quick succession before Jarvis gifted Bangladesh with 15 runs off the penultimate over but it was with the last ball of the Bangladesh innings that Shafuil Islam was run out.
Scorecard:
Toss Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe win by seven wickets (with 17 balls remaining)
Bangladesh Innings
Tamim Iqbal c †Taylor b Chatara 32
Mohammad Ashraful c Sibanda b Vitori 5
Jahurul Islam b Vitori 0
Mushfiqur Rahim c Chatara b Utseya 32
Shakib Al Hasan c Sibanda b Williams 18
Nasir Hossain c †Taylor b Jarvis 63
Mahmudullah not out 75
Ziaur Rahman c Masakadza b Chatara 5
Abdur Razzak c †Taylor b Jarvis 4
Shafiul Islam run out (Sibanda/†Taylor) 1
Extras (lb 1, w 9, nb 2) 12
Total 247
Did not bat: Robiul Islam
F-o-W: 1-15 (Mohammad Ashraful, 3.1 ov), 2-15 (Jahurul Islam, 3.2 ov), 3-77 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 18.2 ov), 4-84 (Tamim Iqbal, 21.2 ov), 5-110 (Shakib Al Hasan, 27.1 ov), 6-189 (Nasir Hossain, 42.5 ov), 7-194 (Ziaur Rahman, 43.3 ov), 8-211 (Abdur Razzak, 46.3 ov), 9-247 (Shafiul Islam, 49.6 ov).
Bowling: Jarvis 10-0-63-2 (1w); Vitori 9-0-43-2 (1nb, 5w); Chigumbura 0.5-0-2-0; H. Masakadza 5.1-0-16-0; Utseya 9-1-34-1 (1w); Chatara 10-0-59-2 (1nb, 2w); Williams 6-0-29-1.
Zimbabwe Innings:
Sibanda not out 103
Masakadza c†Mushfiqur Rahim b Robiul Islam 41
Raza Butt c Nasir HOssain b Ziaur Rahman 37
†* Taylor c†Mushfiqur Rahim 2
Malcolm Waller not out 55
Extras (lb 7 w 5, nb 1) 13
Total 251
Did not bat:, Sean Williams, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara.
F-o-W: 1-79 (Masakadza, 14.1 ov), 2-135 (Sikandar Raza, 30.2 ov), 3-142 (Taylor, 31.5 ov).
Bowling: Shafuil Islam 10-0-58-0 (1nb, 1w); Abdur Razzak 10-1-44-0; Robiul Islam 7.1-0-45-1 (3w); Ziaur Rahman 5-0-25-1 (1w); Shakib Al Hasan 9-1-43-0; Mahmudullah 6-0-29-1.
Online Reporter