Tigers keep Zimbabwe to below-par 119-7
The Tigers bowled very well to ensure that the visitors did not get any chance to post a sizable total.
Bangladesh kept Zimbabwe to just 119-7 off their 20 overs in the first innings of the second and final twenty20 international (T20I) at Mirpur on Wednesday.
The Tigers bowled very well to ensure that the visitors did not get any chance to post a sizable total in a half-empty Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The gound would have been packed but due to the coronavirus outbreak, precautions were taken by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and not more than one ticket was sold to a person.
Opener Brendan Taylor played a lone hand for Zimbabwe scoring 59 off 48 balls in an innings that had six boundaries and a six.
Having won the toss, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad chose to field first and it was the first time that the hosts had fielded first in the entire series against Zimbabwe.
They made three changes to their side as experienced left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal, leg-spinner Aminul Islam and fast bowler Shafiul Islam got rested with fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Al-Amin Hossain and left-handed opener Naim Sheikh coming in.
This was also Mahmud's debut after he had impressed in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) previously.
Zimbabwe started things off slow and steady as the Bangladesh pacers kept them at bay with some smart bowling.
Tigers dominate in the powerplay
Opener Tinashe Kamunhukamwe was the aggressor with a few boundaries early on but he paid the price in the third over as he was caught behind by keeper Mushfiqur Rahim off the bowling of Al-Amin Hossain.
The experienced duo of Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine then steadied things as Zimbabwe scored just 31 in the first six overs during the powerplay.
From there, they started playing their shots and took on the Bangladesh bowlers.
Taylor-Ervine stand revives visitors
In the seventh over, Hasan Mahmud was dispatched for a boundary and a six of the first and last balls of the over as Brendan Taylor went on the aggressive.
The boundaries kept coming off each over from there on in as Ervine also found his feet and timing.
There was a minor scare in the fourth ball of the ninth over as Ervin tried to reverse sweep a ball from Mahedi Hasan but ended up missing and the umpire raised his finger to give him out lbw.
But upon a review, ball-tracking showed it to be missing the stumps and Ervine was reprieved.
That, however, didn't last long as Afif Hossain came into the attack in the 11th over and took the wicket of Ervine in the first ball as Ervine was gone for 29 with the score at 69-2.
Hosts once again wrest control
Bangladesh then started to dominate proceedings as Mahedi took the wicket of Sean Williams in the 13th over and he could have had the wicket of new batsman Sikandar Raza too if Soumya Sarkar hadn't dropped a sitter at long-on.
Raza and Taylor then tried to claw their way back in the game as a few boundaries came.
But as had previously been the case, one shot too many brought about a wicket and this time Raza was out, caught at short fine-leg by Al-Amin off the bowling of Mohammad Saifuddin.
Richmond Mutumbami was the new man in but he didn't last long as Al-Amin had his second wicket of the night and Soumya had his second catch of the day at long-on - this time a skier and was the toughest of the three opportunities he had.
Taylor brings up fifty but can't up the ante
With overs passing by, wickets at the other end falling, and time running out, Taylor brought up his half-century in the penultimate over of the innings.
But Mustafizur Rahman managed to take two wickets in the 19th over to keep the runs in check.
The two batsmen to fall were Tinotenda Mutombodzi (3) and Wesley Madhevere (0).
In the last over, Taylor managed to take just six runs off an over where Saifuddin bowled well as Zimbabwe's innings ended with a whimper.