Yaser Zubayer Sifat
Bangladesh 322 for 3 (Liton Das 176, Tamim Iqbal 128*, Mumba 3-69) beat Zimbabwe 218 (Raza 61, Saifuddin 4-41) by 123 runs (D/L method)
Records tumbled at the Sylhet International Stadium today as Bangladesh whitewashed Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series as the Tigers registered a thumping 123-run victory against the visitors. It is also a fitting end to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s reign as the captain of the Bangladesh side as it was the 50th ODI victory for Mashrafe as the skipper. The star of the match Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal cemented their side’s dominance with an opening partnership of 292, Bangladesh’s highest for any wicket in ODIs. Both men reached their second hundreds of the series, with Das soaring to 176 to break the record for the highest individual score for Bangladesh in an ODI. It was a record set by Iqbal in the previous match.
With rain around the corner, Zimbabwe opted to bowl first and were soon left second guessing the choice they as the Bangladesh openers combined for Bangladesh’s best ODI partnership – for any wicket – that lasted until the 41st over. Both Tamim and Liton started cautiously but never let Bangladesh’s run-rate drop below five at any point. Liton dealt in boundaries at the start, while Tamim used his feet a lot more and had the first three sixes of Bangladesh’s innings to his name. The pair set a strong base, taking them to 53 at the end of their powerplay without any false shots along the way. Zimbabwe, in fact, opted against an early review against Liton after their LBW call was turned down but also paid a heavy price for poor fielding – especially after the rain break – that saw them drop him thrice.
Bangladesh’s batsmen hit an incredible 14 sixes, the most by them in an ODI, to reach 322 for 3, equalling the team record for highest score against Zimbabwe in an ODI. As a result of a rain delay in the evening, which knocked seven overs out of Bangladesh’s innings, Zimbabwe’s target was readjusted upwards to a mountainous 342. They never looked like getting close, Sikandar Raza’s fifty in his 100th ODI only delaying the inevitable as Mohammad Saifuddin lead the way with 4 for 41 to bowl the visitors out for 218 in the 38th over.
While Iqbal mixed watchful accumulation with brutal striking, Das found his groove with a more silken touch even when he was lifting the ball over the boundary. Das also rode some very good luck: he might have been dismissed lbw when he had just 54 to his name, had zimbabwe used the review available to them, and he was also dropped three times in the outfield. He made them pay for the errors.
