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So, Bangladesh have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in this 5 match T20I series. But we still have 2 matches to go. The action mow moves to Mirpur, Dhaka where the fourth match will be played in a couple of times. We will be there to bring you all the action. For now, this is Sourabh and Soumarya signing off. Keep following Sportskeeda and take care!
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh Captain) - Boys showed a lot of character, specially the way Towhid and Zaker batted in the middle, really happy for them. We need to execute our plans, we did not bowl well in the last 5 overs, we would look to come back better in the next match.
Towhid Hridoy, 57 off 38 balls (Player of the match) - We lost early wickets and I tried to just stick to my plans. Today the wicket was a bit slow that is why I took my time, that is what I told my batting partner as well that we should take our time.
Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe Captain - It was a spirited fight back but the fact remains that the top five including myself have to put up our hands. A lot of the runs have come from lower order and the tail enders. The batters need to come good. Let's not look too far ahead as Richard is injured. Blessing was exceptional. We have a lot of young guys so one or two mistakes can be accepted due to lack of experience. Jonathan Campbell, Faraz Akram and Masakadza did really well. It was an entertaining game and there were a lot of positives. I feel I'm to blame a lot for these loses.
MATCH SUMMARY
Bangladesh won by 9 runs
Towhid Hridoy 57(38) | Mohammad Saifuddin 3/42(4) Faraz Ahmed 34*(19) | Blessing Muzarabani 3/14(4)
Chasing 166, no one would have given a chance to Zimbabwe at 91/8 but then a remarkable 54-run partnership for the 9th wicket between Faraz Ahmed and Wellington Masakadza saw Zimbabwe take this really close but in the end Bangladesh were the better side and deservedly have come out winners in this game taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match series.
It was the same story for Zimbabwe with their batters failing miserably and letting them down with the willow in their hands, well if your no. 10 batter is the highest scorer for you then you surely have a problem as a batting unit. There were simply not enough partnerships and that has been the Achilles heel for Zimbabwe in this series. Campbell hit a few lusty blows towards the end and you would have to say that the ninth wicket partnership saved the blushes for the visitors.
The Bangladesh bowlers shared the wickets amongst themselves. Saifuddin took 3, Rishad got 2 and the others got a wicket each.
Apart from that, a lot of credit needs to be given to the Bangladesh batters, two of them in particular - Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali who took them out of a hole earlier in the piece by stitching a 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Towhid Hridoy, the best batter of the series so far, got to his maiden T20I fifty and Jaker played a brilliant knock of 44 as well.
For Zimbabwe, Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers with an exceptional spell of 3/14 in 4 overs.
20
overs
156/9score
W
4
4
0
1
2
runs
Faraz Akram*
34(19)
Blessing Muzarabani
9(4)
Mohammad Saifuddin
3/42
19.6 Mohammad Saifuddin to Faraz Akram, GAME OVERR!!! Bangladesh win by 9 runs and clinch the series! It was short and around middle stump line. Akram pulled it away through the deep mid wicket region for a couple of runs. Zimbabwe end up with 156/9 in 20 overs.
19.5 Mohammad Saifuddin to Blessing Muzarabani, pitched up and around middle stump. Muzarabani smashes it down to long on for a single.
19.4 Mohammad Saifuddin to Blessing Muzarabani, slower one and it was short too. Muzarabani can't pull it and it will be a dot ball. 13 runs from two balls now and surely it's Bangladesh's game.