Zimbabwe – 170-6 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 44, Ryan Burl 30*, Sikandar Raza 20; Nahid Rana 4/26, Mohammad Saifuddin 2/35)
Bangladesh – 138 all out in 19 overs (Yasir Ali 54, Mahedi Hasan 19, Tanzid Hasan 16; Blessing Muzarabani 4/17, Richard Ngarava 4/26, Milton Shumba 1/4)
Zimbabwe won by 32 runs
Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani combined in a devastating display of fast bowling as Zimbabwe defended 170 to beat Bangladesh by 32 runs in the opening T20 International at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Wednesday, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
On a surface that offered little obvious assistance to the seamers, Zimbabwe’s pace spearheads extracted steep bounce and maintained relentless accuracy, sharing eight wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 138 in 19 overs.
Ngarava finished with four for 26 and Muzarabani four for 17.
Bangladesh’s good fortune at the toss continued as they again opted to put Zimbabwe in to bat.
Brian Bennett made an explosive start, driving the opening delivery from Taskin Ahmed through the covers for four before scooping another boundary behind the wicketkeeper later in the over.
He continued the assault by taking four and six off successive deliveries from Nasum Ahmed.
When Tadiwanashe Marumani finally got the strike, he wasted little time, launching consecutive sixes off Mahedi Hasan.
His entertaining cameo ended on 14 when he holed out to deep square leg off Nahid Rana, with Zimbabwe on 37 for one in the fourth over.
Dion Myers looked to be finding his touch before holing out to the midwicket boundary off Mohammad Saifuddin for 20 off 20 balls, leaving Zimbabwe on 76 for two in the ninth over.
Captain Sikandar Raza made an immediate impact with a trademark cover drive for four, but Zimbabwe soon lost the impressive Bennett, who slashed Rana to deep backward point after a fluent 44 off 30 deliveries featuring six fours and a six.
Zimbabwe were 90 for three after 11 overs.
Ryan Burl took a few deliveries to settle before striking Mahedi for a six and a four in quick succession, while Raza launched Saifuddin almost into the car park beyond deep midwicket for a towering six.
Raza’s innings ended shortly afterwards when he mistimed a slower delivery from Saifuddin and was caught at long-off for 20 off just 13 balls, making it 116 for four in the 14th over.
Burl and Milton Shumba rotated the strike effectively but found boundaries hard to come by as Zimbabwe’s innings briefly lost momentum.
The pressure told in the 18th over when Shumba scooped Rana to short fine leg for 11 before Tashinga Musekiwa drove his first delivery straight to long-on.
At 152 for six after 19 overs, Zimbabwe still needed a strong finish, and they found it through Brad Evans.
Facing Rana in the final over, Evans struck four boundaries in a blistering unbeaten 19 off 10 deliveries as he and Burl combined to plunder 18 runs from the over and lift Zimbabwe to a competitive 170 for six.
Burl finished unbeaten on 30 off 25 balls.
Despite being taken apart at the death, Rana was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler with four for 26.
Bangladesh began their chase briskly, with Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan taking 13 runs from an opening over bowled by Raza.
The momentum shifted dramatically in the fourth over.
Ngarava struck twice with short-pitched bowling, first having Saif caught behind for 12 after a mistimed pull before Tanzid also succumbed attempting the same shot, gloving through to Marumani for 16.
Bangladesh slipped to 30 for two.
Muzarabani soon joined the assault, inducing Parvez Hossain Emon to drive tamely to mid-off for five as Bangladesh stumbled to 34 for three in the fifth over.
Captain Towhid Hridoy and Yasir Ali steadied the innings with a valuable partnership before Shumba provided an important breakthrough.
Introduced in the ninth over, the off-spinner tempted Hridoy into a slog-sweep that found Musekiwa on the midwicket boundary.
Hridoy departed for 14 with Bangladesh on 73 for four.
The pressure intensified moments later when Nurul Hasan attempted a risky single, only for Raza to produce a sharp direct hit that left Bangladesh reeling at 78 for five.
Yasir and Mahedi Hasan then mounted the tourists’ best resistance.
Yasir reached an accomplished half-century from just 33 balls, while Mahedi contributed a lively 19 as the pair threatened to swing the contest back Bangladesh’s way.
Zimbabwe’s pace duo, however, returned to settle the issue.
Muzarabani broke the stand by inducing Mahedi to slice a catch to Raza at mid-off before Ngarava removed the dangerous Yasir, who skied an attempted attacking stroke to Evans at extra cover after a well-made 54 off 38 balls, including three sixes and two fours.
With only four more runs added, Ngarava struck again as Saifuddin miscued a pull and Shumba completed the catch at fine leg.
Bangladesh entered the 19th over needing 33 runs from the final two overs with only two wickets remaining.
Forced to attack every delivery, they quickly unravelled.
Muzarabani had Nasum Ahmed caught by Musekiwa running in from deep square leg before ending the innings by bowling Rana for nought.
Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for just eight runs in the space of 15 deliveries as they were dismissed for 138.
Zimbabwe’s outstanding pace duo of Ngarava and Muzarabani shared eight wickets for just 43 runs to secure an emphatic opening victory.
