All-round Bangladesh level T20I series in Bulawayo

In the second Twenty20 International at Bulawayo on Friday, Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by a whopping 34 runs to level the three-match series 1-1. Bangladesh responded with a strong batting performance and set Zimbabwe a 187-run target after being bowled out for just 138 runs in the first match. The hosts lost early in their chase and were bowled out for 152.

After opting to bat, Saif Hassan set the tone early for Bangladesh with two boundaries in the opening over. The other Zimbabwean bowlers were not as successful in containing the scoring as Richard Ngarava, who bowled a tight spell in the Powerplay and only conceded seven runs in his two overs. This was in part due to Zimbabwe's errors on the field, as Saif was run out twice in just five overs.

Bangladesh's openers batted with ease after posting 54/0 in the Powerplay. Saif, Tanzid Hasan Tamim's partner, continued to enjoy tremendous luck, having been dropped five times before reaching his fifty in the fourteenth over. Tanzid Hasan Tamim reached his fifty in the 12th over. Zimbabwe only managed to break the century opening stand in the 15th over when Sikandar Raza bowled Saif.

Bangladesh went from 120/0 to 137/4 after losing four more wickets in the next two overs due to the wicket. However, Zimbabwe were unable to take advantage of the momentum, as Mohammad Saifuddin struck Evans for four sixes in the final over after Yasir Ali hit three crucial boundaries. Saifuddin was dropped from the final delivery, bringing Zimbabwe's drop total to seven. Zimbabwe's field errors continued.

Brian Bennett struck Mahedi Hasan for two fours and a six in the first over, giving Zimbabwe's response a good look. However, it quickly withered away, with Bennett losing his stumps to Nahid Rana's pace in the following over and Tadiwanashe Marumani falling later in the same over. Zimbabwe found themselves in trouble at 65/4 when Dion Myers fell in the seventh over, despite Sikandar Raza's 12-ball 28 attempt to generate momentum.

Milton Shumba, who dropped four catches earlier, wasn't able to redeem himself with the bat and became Rishad Hossain's second victim after making a 20-ball 19. After that, the hosts were never really able to get back into the contest. Ryan Burl's 29 (19) and Evans' 25 (14) were the only other notable contributions but neither were able to get Zimbabwe anywhere close. In the end, they were bowled out for 152 in the twenty-first over, 34 runs short of the target. With a score of 4-26, Rishad Hossain won the bowling competition.