Player of the Match
Player of the Match

9.55pm I don't remember the last time Bangladesh were this clinical. Very often, they have belligerent starts, then slow down through the middle, largely due to failure to rotate the strike, then slog and lose wickets, and end up limping over the line, usually with Shakib or another veteran helping them over. But there was none of that today. No Shakib. No middle-overs meltdown. No scraping through. Just a thoroughly dominant performance, thrashing a Zimbabwe side with some unbelievable hitting. They lost Liton early, but once Imrul and Soumya settled in, they never looked back. They were relentless in their hitting, finding the boundary with effortless frequency and mowing the target down. Zimbabwe had their own heroes in Sean Williams and Brendan Taylor, but it was nowhere enough to stop them getting overpowered by Bangladesh's batting might.

Ahnaf Tahmid: "Back to back two matches won by hitting a SIX !! Shows you how dominant Bangladesh have been in this last 2 matches."

Presentation time.

"We had a good outing with the bat," says Hamilton Masakadza. "We thought we had a good score, but the second-wicket partnership took the game away from us. Different mindset in the Tests, a few of the guys got some runs on the board, and hopefully we can carry that confidence."

Soumya Sarkar is Man of the Match. He says he's very pleased to play this innings. He's been out of the team for some time, so that innings felt good. It was a batting-friendly pitch, and he took an opportune moment to play a big innings.

Imrul kayes is Man of the Series. Highest run-tally in a three-match series for Bangladesh. "It's been a great series for me. I tried my best and wanted to do something better and something different. Soumya is a positive player. He's a class batsman. My pressure was released by him. I will try my best in the Test series as well."

"Coming back from Asia Cup, we had a lot of confidence," says Mashrafe Motaza. "Our bowling needs to improve, even from my side. We lost some rhythm, but we did alright. The bowlers did well, even with the inexperience, we restricted them to 285, which was a good effort. Soumya and Imrul played with lot of calm. I hope our Test team will do well."

Zimbabwe's horrid time in ODIs continues with yet another clean sweep. Can they salvage something in the Tests? They have some time to empty this bag and come out fresh. FOr now, this is all we have. Hop onto the T20I between Pakistan and Australia if your appetite for cricket isn't satiated yet. From Hemant, Debayan and myself, it's goodbye.

42.1
6
Williams to Mushfiqur Rahim, SIX, is that the game? Yes, it is. That has carried for six. Short, straightening around off, Mushfiqur rocks back and pulls over deep midwicket

END OF OVER:
42 | 6 Runs | BAN: 282/3 (5 runs required from 48 balls, RR: 6.71, RRR: 0.62)

  • Mohammad Mithun7 (11b)
  • Mushfiqur Rahim22 (38b)
  • Wellington Masakadza10-0-71-1
  • Sean Williams6-0-37-0
41.6
4
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, FOUR, full toss, angled into him, shovels it straight over mid-on.. one-bounce over the boundary
41.5
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, full toss, driven to extra cover
41.4
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, gets forward and blocks a length ball
41.3
2
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, 2 runs, advances down the ground and tries to heave this slider over the on side, rolls along to deep midwicket off the inside part of the bat
41.2
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, loops it up on middle, waits and blocks to point
41.1
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, tucks a length ball to midwicket

END OF OVER:
41 | 2 Runs | BAN: 276/3 (11 runs required from 54 balls, RR: 6.73, RRR: 1.22)

  • Mushfiqur Rahim22 (38b)
  • Mohammad Mithun1 (5b)
  • Sean Williams6-0-37-0
  • Wellington Masakadza9-0-65-1
40.6
0
Williams to Mushfiqur Rahim, no run, drops this to point and skips down for a run but is sent back
40.5
0
Williams to Mushfiqur Rahim, no run, good length on middle, front-foot defense
40.4
0
Williams to Mushfiqur Rahim, no run, length ball on middle and leg, defended
40.3
1
Williams to Mohammad Mithun, 1 run, pushes a fuller ball to long-off
40.2
0
Williams to Mohammad Mithun, no run, advances down the ground and blocks to cover
40.1
1
Williams to Mushfiqur Rahim, 1 run, backs away and punches through the covers to the right of the sweeper

RJ Mahfuj: "Well Played Kayes ! Welcome to the sweet problem of picking one from three for the opening stand with Tamim ! My choice: Tamim & Kayes at the opening. Soumya and Liton, choose one for 3 or 7."

END OF OVER:
40 | 1 Run 1 Wkt | BAN: 274/3 (13 runs required from 60 balls, RR: 6.85, RRR: 1.30)

  • Mohammad Mithun0 (3b)
  • Mushfiqur Rahim21 (34b)
  • Wellington Masakadza9-0-65-1
  • Sean Williams5-0-35-0
39.6
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, blocks a fuller one off the inside of the bat
39.5
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run,
39.4
0
WP Masakadza to Mohammad Mithun, no run, dropped. Tries to force a cut with the ball not turning as much, not enough room, gets an outside edge that's shelled by the keeper. Very tough chance
39.3
W
WP Masakadza to Imrul Kayes, OUT, ah, Kayes has holed out.. looking for the glorious finish. Wasn't needed but he was set and looking for a big hit or two. Advances down the ground and carts this over mid-off but as he does so the bat turns in his hands and the ball settles into the hands of long-off

Imrul Kayes c Chigumbura b WP Masakadza 115 (112b 10x4 2x6) SR: 102.67

Bangladesh 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0Imrul KayesLitton Das
2nd220Imrul KayesSoumya Sarkar
3rd54Mushfiqur RahimImrul Kayes
4th14Mushfiqur RahimMohammad Mithun