Tamim Iqbal notched up his 14th ODI hundred to help Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the third and final match at Harare Sports Club. Chasing a challenging 299, Tamim hit eight fours and three sixes in his 97-ball 112 to guide Bangladesh reach the target with 12 balls to spare.
Earlier, Regis Chakabva laid the foundation with a career-best 91-ball 84. Sikandar Raza (57) and Ryan Burl (59) also made quickfire fifties but Zimbabwe lost their last five wickets in just 12 balls as they were bowled out for 298 in 49.3 overs.
Dion Myers, too, played aggressively in his 71-run stand with Chakabva. The pair combined to hit 16 runs in the 25th over, of Mohammad Saifuddin (3-87). Wesley Madhevere departed cheaply soon, to Mustafizur Rahman (3-57). Three overs after, Taskin Ahmed (1-48) bowled Chakabva to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 172/5.his point.
Dion Myers, too, played aggressively in his 71-run stand with Chakabva. The pair combined to hit 16 runs in the 25th over, of Mohammad Saifuddin (3-87). Wesley Madhevere departed cheaply soon, off Mustafizur Rahman (3-57). Three overs after, Taskin Ahmed (1-48) bowled Chakabva to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 172/5.
The standout partnership of their innings came just after that, between Raza and Burl. They aggregated 112 runs to take Zimbabwe to a decent total before Bangladesh triggered a late collapse.
Bangladesh looked determined in the chase right from the beginning. Apart from Mahmudullah, who fell for a golden duck, all five Bangladeshi batters – Liton Das (32), Tamim, Shakib (30), Mohammad Mithun (30) and Nurul Hasan – chipped in with valuable contributions before Afif Hossain (26*) hit the winning runs in the 48th over.
Zimbabwe did not create many wicket-taking opportunities and rather bowled defensively. Donald Tiripano (2-61) and Madhevere (2-45) got two wickets each, while Luke Jongwe (1-44) had one to his name.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 298 in 49.3 overs (Regis Chakabva 84; Mustafizur Rahman 3-57) lost to Bangladesh in overs 302/5 (Tamim Iqbal 112; Wesley Madhevere 2-45) by five wickets with 12 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Tamim Iqbal.
Bangladesh won the series 3-0. Player of the series: Shakib Al Hasan.