Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 2016, 3rd T20I at Khulna, Preview: Hosts look to seal series

Bangladesh take on Zimbabwe in the third of the four-match T20I at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna.

Hosts Bangladesh take on visitors Zimbabwe in the third of the four-match Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna on Wednesday. Bangladesh, who won the opening couple of contests at this very venue convincingly, would look to make it three in a row and win the series, thus taking an unassailable 3-0 lead. However Zimbabwe, on the other hand, who have been on the receiving end, will aim for a turnaround and win this tie to stay alive in the series and head for a series levelling contest in the fourth and final T20I a couple of days later. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 2016, 3rd T20I at Khulna

Considering the performance in the previous game, Bangladesh had a decent outing with the bat, with a couple of batsmen in the form of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman, who scored above 40 and finished on 43 each, while Rahman remained unbeaten on the score. Other batsmen too contributed decently, with three of them scoring above 20.

Zimbabwe batsmen, on the other hand, struggled with the bat, with skipper Hamilton Masakadza being the top scorer with a score of 30, while opener Vusi Sibanda and Malcolm Waller scored 21 and 29, respectively. The rest of the batsmen folded up for single figures. Mushfiqur Rahim replaced by Taskin Ahmed for remaining Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe T20Is

In the bowling attack, Zimbabwe had a tough outing once again as three bowlers in the form of Taurai Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza and Graeme Cremer claimed a wicket each, while for Bangladesh, most of the bowlers contributed decently, with Sabbir Rahman claiming three for 11 in just 2.1 overs.

Thus, going by the performance of the last game and with the game being held in the same venue, it is most likely to remain a balanced wicket and the teams too would move in with a balanced side. Therefore, Bangladesh would definitely go in with an unchanged side. However, a change in the form of Mahmudullah could be possible, for his poor form with the bat and could well be replaced by Arafat Sunny. Mushfiqur Rahim, who would be missing the tie owing to injury has been replaced by Taskin Ahmed and would be interesting to see if he gets the nod ahead of the game. Sabbir Rahman’s all-round show helps Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 42 runs in 2nd T20I

While Zimbabwe, on the other hand, could possibly make few changes in the form of Sean Williams, Peter Moor and Neville Madziva, and could well be replaced by Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro or Luke Jongwe. Overall, it definitely promises to be a thrilling tie, with both the teams going for the kill.

Squads:                                                            

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Al-Amin Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shuvagata Hom, Arafat Sunny, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahman (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Nurul Hasan, Abu Hider.

Zimbabwe: Tendai Chisoro, Luke Jongwe, Elton Chigumbura (c), Hamilton Masakadza, Peter Moor, Taurai Muzarabani, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Chamu Chibhabha, Graeme Cremer, Neville Madziva, Wellington Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Vusi Sibanda, Brian Vitori, Sean Williams.

Time: 14:30 IST | 15:00 local | 9:00 GMT

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)

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