With figures of 2-42 and an unbeaten 96, Shakib Al Hasan as good as single-handedly helped Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in the second ODI at Harare Sports Club to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Coming to bat at No. 3, Shakib remained till the end as Bangladesh chased down 241 in the final over.
Zimbabwe improved their batting effort from the first game, where they were bowled out for only 121. Here, they put on 240/9 after opting to bat. Wesley Madhevere’s 56 was at the heart of it, while Brendan Taylor (46), Dion Myers (34) and Sikandar Raza (30) all chipped in with useful contributions.
Zimbabwe did not have the best of their starts. In the very first over of the match, Taskin Ahmed gave Bangladesh an early breakthrough. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe went for an aerial cut but only found Afif Hossain at backward point.
Had Mohammad Saifuddin been able to hold on with the full-stretch dive, Taskin could have claimed Tadiwanashe Marumani in the fifth over. It did not matter, as Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled Marumani in the next over. Zimbabwe were 33/2 at this point.
After his attacking fifty in the last match, Zimbabwe promoted Regis Chakabva to No. 3. Chakabva added 47 with Taylor for the third wicket before falling to an arm ball from Shakib. Myers then added 31 with Taylor and 35 with Madhevere to rebuild the innings.
Taylor survived a hit-wicket dismissal in the ninth over, but 16 overs after, Shoriful Islam eventually got him in a similar fashion. He completed a shot and knocked off a bail while trying to shadow-practice. The decision caused a stir.
The highest partnership of the innings came for sixth wicket, between Madhevere and Raza. They aggregated 63 to lift Zimbabwe past the 200-run mark. Zimbabwe scored 65 from the final 10 overs to post a challenging total, despite wickets falling at regular intervals.
Shoriful returned a career-best 4-46 and Shakib 2-42. Taskin (1-38), Saifuddin (1-54) and Mehidy (1-34) all claimed a wicket each.
Coming to chase, neither Tamim Iqbal (20) nor Liton Das (21) could convert their starts into anything substantial. Mohammad Mithun (2) and Mosaddek Hossain (5) departed cheaply as well, as Bangladesh slumped from 39/0 to 75/4.
Shakib and Mahmudullah, kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive with a 55-run stand for the fifth wicket. In the 29th over, Blessing Muzarabani returned to pick up the much-needed wicket of Mahmudullah (26).
But Shakib looked ominous throughout his stay, and finally helped Bangladesh reach the target with five balls to spare. He was ably supported by Afif (15) and Saifuddin (28*) to make that happen.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 240/9 in 50 overs (Wesley Madhevere 56; Shoriful Islam 4-46) lost to Bangladesh 242/7 in 49.1 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 96*; Luke Jongwe 2-52) by three wickets. Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan.