Hamilton Masakadza sinks Bangladesh, helps Zimbabwe level series 2-2
Hamilton Masakadza sinks Bangladesh, helps Zimbabwe level series 2-2
A record-making innings of 93 off 58 from Hamilton Masakadza‘s bat helped Zimbabwe register 18-run win in the final match of the four-match Twenty20 International (T20I) against hosts Bangladesh and settle for draw. Bangladesh, prior to the fourth T20I, were leading the series 2-1 and needed a win in the final match to end on a victorious note but went on to lose to the visitors who came back strong stopping them from a dominated win and claimed their share of the share successfully. Hamilton, from the very start, looked very confident and carried the bat all through the innings and remained unbeaten. FULL SCORECARD: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 4th T20I at Khulna
Zimbabwe, winning the toss, chose to bat first. The visitors got an early blow as their opener and star performer from last match, Vusi Sibanda, was dismissed for a mere 4. Hamilton Masakadza and Richmond Mutumbami took things forward from that position and in a very appreciable way. The partnership added 80 runs before Mutumbami left for a 25-ball 32. Masakadza stayed at the crease and took his team to yet another competitive total. He found the right partner in Malcolm Waller who kept on providing the right support that Masakadza was looking for. With Waller’s 36, Zimbabwe finished putting up 180 runs on the board with the loss of 4 wickets. FULL UPDATES: Bangaldesh vs Zimbabwe 2015-16, 4th T20I at Khulna
Bangladesh never looked comfortable during the chase as they went on losing wickets in quick succession. They started off poorly and lost their first four wickets within the initial three overs. It was Mahmudullah who provided some mentionable contributions towards the team score. He went on to score 54 off 41 balls, with the help of 5 fours and 2 sixes. While he tried to build up a good partnership, he kept on searching for a support from the other end which he was never provided with and was clean bowled by Tendai Chisoro. Apart from Mahmudullah, it was Mashrafe Mortaza the skipper who scored 22 but couldn’t save his side from the defeat.
The Bangladesh Bowlers could not make any mark, though the solitary wicket taken by Shakib Al Hasan marked 50th T20I wicket, making it a milestone in his career. On the contrary, Zimbabwe bowlers did an exceptional job with the ball. Tendai Chisoro took three wickets for 17 while Neville Madziva bagged 4 wickets for 34 runs.
Brief Scores:
Zimbabwe 180/4 ( Hamilton Masakadza 93*, Malcolm Waller 36; Shakib Al Hasan 1 for 32) won by 18 runs against Bangladesh 162( Mahmudullah 54; Tendai Chisoro 3 for 17, Neville Madziva 4 for 34)
(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)