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Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by three runs in a thrilling Group 2 match of the Super 12 stage played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground on Sunday which went to the last ball as they remain in contention for reaching the semifinals of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup.
Bangladesh bowlers restricted the opponents to 147/8 in 20 overs after putting up a total of 150/7 in their allotted 20 overs to complete a win by just three runs. In a match which had lots of drama, it finally came down to the final delivery with Zimbabwe pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani on strike requiring four runs from the bowling of off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain.
After opting to bat first, Bangladesh opener Najmul Hossain Shanto brought up his career-best score of 71 from just 55 deliveries which included seven fours and one six to help his team put up a respectable total of 150/7 in some good batting conditions earlier in the day.
The Bangladesh opener added a 54-run partnership with skipper Shakib-Al-Hasan who scored 23 off 20, while left-hander Afif Hossain also contributed to the total with 29 off 19 with one four and a six that was helped by some poor fielding from Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe dropped a handful of easy chances and were quite sloppy in the outfield which gave their opposition an opportunity to score a few extra runs.
Pace bowler Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe as he ended with figures of 2/13 from his two overs, while fellow quick Richard Ngarava took 2/23 from his full quota of four overs. It was a bit surprising to see Muzarabani not bowling in the death and completing his four overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe were in deep trouble at 35/4 in 5.5 overs as the pace bowling duo of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman sent Bangladesh’s top-four back in the pavilion. However, skipper Sean Williams single handedly fought with his 64 off 42 with eight fours to take the match away from Bangladesh.
The turning point of the game came in the second last over of the innings when Shakib produced a piece of magic in the field to run out his fellow veteran on his own bowling with a direct hit when Williams almost took Zimbabwe to victory after scoring three boundaries from five balls. Zimbabwe were 132/6 in 18.4 overs and needed 19 runs from eight balls when captain Williams was dismissed.
Shakib went wicket-less from his four overs and ended with 0/34 but the Bangladesh skipper held his nerves and did something brilliant to ensure his side get back in the game.
Both teams thought Hossain had taken back-to-back wickets from consecutive deliveries in the last over, but it eventually turned out a no-ball as wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan had incidentally collected the ball in front of the stumps. The players shook hands and went outside the field expecting it to be a stumping, but the players were recalled to the field to bowl the final delivery once again.
Zimbabwe needed fours runs off the final ball with Muzarabani on strike as he missed the ball while trying to go for a big hit off Hossain to gift Bangladesh a win they probably deserved. The pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh was Taskin Ahmed who ended with 3/19 from his four overs while left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman was equally impressive for his 2/15 from four overs.
What a match! 🥵
Bangladesh emerge victorious after a thrilling clash against Zimbabwe!#T20WorldCup | #BANvZIM | 📝https://t.co/Qi8dhfgeEW pic.twitter.com/qayCpqXi0y
— ICC (@ICC) October 30, 2022
Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams are two of just four players playing in the ongoing T20 World Cup who also featured in the inaugural tournament in 2007 and both of them showed that they still have what it takes to perform on the big stage.
With this victory, Bangladesh jump to second place on the Group 2 standings with four points from three games as they hope to book a spot in the semifinals. On the other hand, Zimbabwe are at the fourth position with three points from three games as their unbeaten start to the Super 12 stage is now over.
Zimbabwe will need to defeat the Netherlands in Adelaide on Wednesday to stay in contention for the semifinals and then it may come down to their final Super 12 match against India at the MCG.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 150/7 in 20 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 71, Afif Hossain 29; Richard Ngarava 2/24, Blessing Muzarabani 2/13) beat Zimbabwe 147/8 in 20 overs (Sean Williams 64; Taskin Ahmed 3/19, Mosaddek Hossain 2/34) by three runs.
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