ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Super 12, Group 2, Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s 71, Taskin-Mustafizur’s combined spell of 5-34 and Sean Williams’ 64 & 1/10 are top performances. Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 3 runs and move up to 2nd place in Group 2
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 147/8 (Williams 64, Taskin 3/19, Mustafizur 2/15) lost to Bangladesh 150/7 (Nazmul 71, Afif 29, Muzarabani 2/13, Ngarava 2/24) by 3 runs
Player of the Match: Taskin Ahmed (3/19)
Zimbabwe took on Bangladesh in a crucial Super 12 clash in Group 2 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday. This was a must-win game for Zimbabwe, where a win would strengthen their chances of making it to the semi-final stage. Bangladesh, on the other hand, need to win all their games by a huge margin after registering a heavy defeat against South Africa in their last encounter. This was surprisingly the first meeting between the two sides at the ICC World T20.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to bat first on what was a dry surface at the Gabba. They made one change to their playing XI from the previous game by bringing in Yasir Ali in place of all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, while Zimbabwe replaced Luke Jongwe with pacer Tendai Chatara.
Bangladesh calm at crucial stages of the game
The game turned out to be a thriller and there was lot of drama on the last ball of the game. Zimbabwe needed 5 runs to win from 2 balls when Richard Ngarava was stumped off Mosaddek Hossain. The last ball turned out to be a dot ball but it was called a no-ball by Umpire Marais Erasmus after the players left the field.
This decision got the players back on the field with Blessing Muzarabani on strike. The Zimbabwe number 10 batter missed the ball as Bangladesh kept their nerves intact to win the thriller by 3 runs.
Zimbabwe bowling effort was splendid as it has been throughout this tournament but one of the major reasons why they lost was their fielding. Zimbabwe dropped many easy catches and it proved to be very costly as they had to chase 4 runs too many at the Gabba.
Read More: T20 WC 2022: Upsets Galore Down Under – Zimbabwe’s 1-run win against Pakistan tops the list
Bangladesh top-order fails again
Bangladesh top-order failed once again to give the team a good start as they lost their opener Soumya Sarkar for a duck and then the in-form Litton Das for 14, both of whom fell to Blessing Muzarabani within the powerplays. After 6 overs, Bangladesh scored 32 for the loss of 2 wickets and Zimbabwe were in command.
However, just when we thought Bangladesh batters will lose their plot like they did against South Africa, Najmul Hossain Shanto resurrected the innings with skipper Shakib Al Hasan (23). Initially, the pair saw off Zimbabwe’s bowlers and then brought up their 50-run stand off just 36 balls.
Their 54-run partnership gave the team a huge lift and then Najmul carried on his merry ways making 71 from 51 balls. Though Richard Ngarava bowled a great spell at the back end, Zimbabwe’s poor fielding coupled with Afif Hossain’s (29 off 19) late order blitz took the Bangladesh score to 150.
Chasing 151 in a high-profile game, Zimbabwe got off to disastrous start with pacer Taskin Ahmed running through their top-order taking the wickets of openers, Wesley Madhevere and Craig Ervine, in his first 2 overs. Experienced pacer Mustafizur Rahman joined the act by removing a rusty looking Milton Shumba for 8 and Sikandar Raza for a duck in the same over to make Zimbabwe totter at 36/4 in 6 overs.
Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva came at a crucial juncture to the crease and along with veteran Sean Williams, the duo added few vital runs and at drinks the score grew to 64/4. However, just when the men in red started to accelerate, Taskin once again got into the scheme of things removing Chakabva for 15.
This pushed Zimbabwe back, but Williams (64 from 42) kept a cool head and the runs kept on flowing from his bat. Giving him support was Ryan Burl in the 6th wicket stand of 63 runs. The game was headed for a grandstand finish with Zimbabwe needing further 26 runs off the last 2 overs and only had spinners to attack against, with one of them being Shakib Al Hasan who has a sub-7 economy rate in his T20 career.
Williams was sent back courtesy a brilliant run-out by skipper Shakib and the game went on a topsy turvy ride in the final over where huge drama unfolded with the whole no-ball incident off the last ball. However, Bangladesh spinner Hossain held his nerves while defending 16 runs and helped his team clinch the game by 3 runs by picking 2 wickets in the final over.
Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s mature knock of 71 propels Bangladesh total to 150
Bangladesh were in a spot of bother at the end of powerplay overs, and needed someone from the top-order to bat deep into the innings, something which was lacking from the team in recent times. And Najmul Shanto, the left-hander, stepped up when it was needed most for his side; he brought up his first 50+ score in T20Is for Bangladesh.
His partnerships with skipper Shakib Al Hasan and then with Afif Hossian were crucial in Bangladesh reaching a respectable score and having something to defend. Najmul eventually fell to Sikander Raza after making a well compiled 71 from 55.
Read More: T20 WC 2022, Gr 2, ZIM v PAK: Raza’s 3-25, Seamers’ economical bowling help Zim clinch nail-biter
Superb spells by experienced pacers, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, give Bangladesh a thrilling last ball win
The only way Bangladesh would have won this game was by picking wickets and the Taskin-Mustafizur duo did just that. Taskin Ahmed got a breakthrough in the very 1st over of the innings by removing Wesley Madhevere and then followed it up with a scalp of skipper Craig Ervine in his 2nd over. His spell kept the Zimbabweans on the backfoot and they were always behind the eight ball through the course of the game.
Shakib brought his express pacer back when the partnership between Regis Chakabva and Sean Williams was growing and Taskin immediately made an impact by removing the former. He finished with 3/19 and was rightly named the player of the match.
His partner in crime for the afternoon was left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman whose two-wicket 6th over broke Zimbabwe’s batting order as one of them was the incredible Sikandar Raza. Rahman also bowled economically ending with figures of 2/15 from his 4.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, Gr 2, BAN v NED: Taskin’s 4-25 helps Bangladesh secure 9-run win
Sean Williams’ 64 off 42 in vain as Bangladesh win a thriller
Sean Williams was at his best in this game and gave it all to secure a win for his team, but it was just not Zimbabwe’s day. Struggling at 35/4 chasing 151, Zimbabwe had very little chance of getting close to the target but all-rounder Williams used all his experience to keep his side in the hunt.
In the end, it was a bridge too far after he departed in the form of a run out for a well-made 64 from just 42 deliveries.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Group 2 Points Table
Points Table Scenario & What’s Next
Bangladesh win means they now have a chance to reach the semi-final but have to go past two Asian giants in India and Pakistan. They are now at the 2nd spot in Group 2 with 4 points and a net run rate of -1.533.
Zimbabwe also have to win their next two games against Netherlands and India, if they are to enter the semi-final race. This Bangladesh win has made the Group 2 open and kept everyone in the hunt.
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