Although control slipped from the Bangladesh’ grasp, they faced a tough test. Four wickets were lost before reaching three figures. None of the top-order batsmen could stand firm. However, Mahmudullah and Hridoy-Mahmudullah’s destructive partnership of 6 wickets took the field to a warm welcome.
The target of 139 runs wasn’t too daunting for the Bangladesh at the start. They scored 41 runs in 5.4 overs. Tanjid Tamim, who had remained unbeaten in the previous match, departed early in the innings after a spectacular catch by Bennett, scoring 18 runs off 19 balls.
But the major blow came in the 10th over when Luk Jongwe took a pair of wickets. On the third ball of the over, he dismissed Ryan Burl, caught by Rayan Barlog, scoring 16 runs off 15 balls. At the end of the over, Liton was caught by Campbell, out for 23 runs off 25 balls.
Though Towhid Hridoy and Zakir Ali formed a 30-run partnership, Zakir couldn’t capitalize, getting out for 13 runs off 12 balls. However, Hridoy-Mahmudullah’s partnership ensured the victory, with Mahmudullah scoring an unbeaten 26 runs off 16 balls and Hridoy remaining not out on 37 runs off 25 balls. With 6 wickets in hand at 18.3 overs, victory was assured. This win propelled Bangladesh ahead 2-0 in the series.
Earlier, Jonathan Campbell and Brendan Bennett made a significant contribution with the bat for Zimbabwe. Their partnership of 73 runs from 43 balls set the stage for a hundred runs for the visitors. In the second T20, Sikandar Raza’s team scored 138 runs for 7 wickets.
In Chittagong, despite losing the toss, Zimbabwe started cautiously with the bat. However, they couldn’t hold on till the end. Taskin Ahmed struck in the fourth over of the first T20 to take the first wicket.
At the end of the over, Marumani fell into the trap of Al-Amin, scoring 2 runs off 4 balls. Powerplay ended with the loss of another wicket in the 7.1 over, with Shanto removing Gumbak. Although Gambak scored 17 runs off 30 balls, he was caught by Shanto.
With the fall of 5 wickets for 42 runs in 10.2 overs, Mehdi took the lead for Bangladesh by dismissing Ervine. Ervine was out for 13 runs off 16 balls. However, just in the previous over, the key wicket was taken by Rishad.
When it seemed Zimbabwe had lost the plot, Campbell and Bennett took to the crease. Although Campbell was out for 45 runs off 24 balls, Bennett remained unbeaten with 44 runs off 29 balls. Rishad took two wickets, dismissing Taskeen and Rishad.
