Zimbabwe Vs Bangladesh Second T20 International played at Shere Bangla National Stadium Dhaka on 15 November 2015

Zimbabwe 136/7 in 19.5 Overs (Malcom Waller 40, LM Jongwe 34, M Madziva 28*, Al Amin Hossain 3/20) beat Bangladesh 135/9 in 20 Overs (Anamul Haque 47, Tamim Iqbal 21, T Panyangara 3/30, AG Cremer 2/21) by 3 wickets.

T 20 Series Result: 1-1

Player of the Match: M Madziva (Zimbabwe)
Player of the Series: M Waller (Zimbabwe)

Complacency, casual approach, poor T20 temperament caused Bangla tigers a shocking defeat in the second T20 international on the second last ball  of the low scoring match. The entire team batted like river erosion driven community hiding for shelter.

Bowlers tried desperately to rescue and came very close. But it was too little too less. 135 in T20 cannot be a defendable score yet bowlers and fielders can be credited that the contest could be extended until the last over. Zimbabwe won a consolation win at long last by three wickets.

 Opting to bat after winning the toss Bangladesh could manage 135 /9 in allotted overs. Zimbabwe scored 18 runs in four balls of the last over earning their much-awaited lone victory of the tour piping the host at the post.

Zimbabwean cricket after shocking defeats against Afghanistan was in disarray. Yet showing great gestures they responded hurriedly to Bangladesh call in sending team for ODI and T20 series while Australia postponed their scheduled test tour to Bangladesh and South African Women team followed them for perceived security threat.

Bangladesh whitewashed them in ODI and won the first T20.  The hard fought victory in the second T20 earned them the consolation of avoiding a comprehensive whitewash. Bangladesh cricket community has appreciated the friendly gesture of Zimbabwe for their solidarity with Bangladesh.

Neither Bangladesh nor Zimbabwe possesses good reputation in the shortest format of the game. The two T20 matches clearly demonstrated why they are rated at the rock bottom.

Bangladesh failed to seal the series with another comprehensive win for few reasons. Perhaps they grew a bit complacent. Senior players wanted to blow away the opposition while batting. The right temperament of building an innings were missing from Tamim, Kayes, Mushfique, Nasir and Mahmudullah. They looked in a hurry and panic-stricken.

Anamul returning in the team after a while struggled. Yet he could hold the innings together while wicket fell around him like a pack of cards. His 51 ball 47 in the low scoring match at least gave some breathing space for the bowlers to try and squeeze out a win.

Aggressive bowling and sharp fielding could extend the match until last over. At the end of 19th over the target was still 18 runs away. Mashrafe ran out of options. Nasir was his only option left. He managed to remove the dangerous Waller with his first delivery creating sensation. But over his next 4 balls he leaked 18 runs.

Zimbabwe went on snatching the match. The visitors deserve congratulations for keeping the heads cool. At least they can return home with some consolation. Hosts have only themselves to blame.

We are sure that there would be lot of postmortem, blaming and counter blaming. This writer spent the Sunday watching cricket all the day. The third match of the Cricket all-star series in the morning was a perfect example how to play T20.

The super stars of yesteryears amply demonstrated how to bat even in the shortest version of the game. This was a festival cricket but the quality of batting and the skills had lot to learn. Then Kane Williams and Ross Taylor batted superbly against high quality Australian bowling a WACA Perth.

Bangladesh is now in a big league. They can learn lessons from other leading players. We are sure many of them must have witnessed the matches.

 Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat. We found little justifications in changing the winning combination. Kayes and Sunny are settled players in the team. There was no harm persisting with Liton and Jubair. We are not sure what message Tamim and Kayes were willing to give playing like passengers desperately rushing to catch the flight. Rush of blood and unnecessary heroics caused their downfall.

 Anamul struggling to find his feet again in the team witnessed the processions of batsmen in one-way traffic. Excepting Shabbir none could stay with him longer.

Mushfique, Nasir, Mahmudullah and Mashrafe came and went. Anamul himself could neither play his aggressive strokes nor rotate the strike. Bowling was not extraordinary, wicket was not difficult. Yet Bangladesh struggled to reach a below par score of 135 /9.

Yet the bowlers almost won the match. Al Amin struck two early blows removing Sikandar Raza and SC Williams on consecutive deliveries in his first two deliveries. Mustafiz accounted for Chakava. He bowled miserly giving away only 12 runs in his 4 overs.

Visitors were reduced to 39/5 by the 9th over.  Malcolm Waller, the pain in the neck for Bangladesh emerged with another match defining innings. His 40 in 27 deliveries with 2 fours and three sixes was even not enough. The visitors were looking like losing yet again. At the beginning of the last over, they still required 18 runs to win.

 Nasir was given the responsibility. He obliged removing Waller on his first delivery. But his next four deliveries leaked 18 runs mainly from power hitting my Madziva. Zimbabwe won the match by three wickets.

Bangladesh will play Asia Cup to be played in T20 format for the first time soon. Then the T20 world cup in not too distant future. We are not sure what good the BPL will serve to Bangladesh cricket interest. Yet players may get some flavor of competitive T20 cricket. Key players must be carefully handled for avoiding injuries.

This team looks like novice in the format despite of its fabulous achievements in ODI. Most of the key batsmen are still to be tuned to required batting style.

Off course the return of Shakib, Taskin, Rubel and Soumya will change the team chemistry. But all must agree that Bangladesh batted poorly in both ODI and did not do justice even in ODI series. We hope the defeat would act as shock therapy for the team, selectors and the team think tank. Bangladesh must have a settled side. Players must have sense of stability.

Through this series cricket worshipping people of Bangladesh let out a strong message that perceived threats cannot affect cricket in Bangladesh.  It is much safer than most of the countries for playing cricket, for doing business.

BDST: 1125 HRS, NOV 16, 2015
RS/SMS