New ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza smartly taking charge, Shakib Al Hasan hitting his first ODI century in four years and picking up four wickets, former ODI captain Mushfiqur Rahim contributing a fifty and a spectacular catch behind the stumps. Bangladesh needed this blend to win an ODI after 383 days and break their 13-game hoodoo. They defended 281 on a blanket of dew, cleverly, causing Zimbabwe to fall 87 short.
Shakib’s 101 off 99 balls had 10 fours played all around the wicket as he, at times, toyed with the Zimbabwe attack. The visitors’ ordinary fielding helped too, as Shakib found easy gaps to pick up 51 singles. There were overs when he and Mushfiqur also raked up plenty of twos, while the boundaries came through no particular arc.
Shakib wasn’t done yet, and contributed by removing the first two Zimbabwe wickets – Sikandar Raza and Vusi Sibanda – in the eighth over, and later bowling Solomon Mire and having John Nyumbu caught at slip. The delivery to remove Raza was classic Shakib: the batsman was drawn forward but got duped by the turn. Shakib, in the process, became the 12th cricketer to take four wickets and score a century in the same ODI. Mahmudullah, Arafat Sunny and Mortaza took two scalps each, bowling tight spells and bringing important breakthroughs for the team.
For Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor top scored with 54 off 72 balls with four fours and a huge six over midwicket. He also survived a chance on 51, when Arafat Sunny dropped him running in from deep square-leg, but had to depart after hitting an off-cutter from Mortaza towards Mushfiqur, who did well to dive to his right and pouch a difficult grab. Hamilton Masakadza made 42 off 48 balls with seven fours before Mahmudullah trapped him leg-before.
But it was really the Shakib show all the way, with both bat and ball. In the first innings, he found boundaries through fine-leg and third man, and also belted the ball through covers, mid-off and midwicket at every opportunity. He reached his first fifty off 56 balls and the hundred came off 95 deliveries. He chanced his arm a couple of times and the ball went past a gully and a cover, but largely, it was an innings that took Bangladesh from a slippery slide to a position from where they could dictate.
The shot that would define Shakib’s innings came in the 37th over – a turn of the wrist that took the ball squeakily past the midwicket fielder and sped past the player at long-on. He added 148 for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur, breaking the Bangladesh record set by himself and Raqibul Hasan against South Africa in 2008. Bangladesh were 70 for 4 when the pair were brought to the crease; courtesy Mominul Haque playing an unnecessary scoop off Nyumbu. The hosts had compiled 218 by the time Shakib departed.Mushfiqur was far luckier than Shakib, getting three lives- dropped on 16 by Chigumbura at cover, caught off a no-ball on 56, and dropped at 60 by Taylor at point. He connected twice with his slog-sweep fully, collecting two sixes, apart from two fours.
Shakib reached his century in the 43rd over and he celebrated by playing some air shots around the ground. The pair added 78 between the 30th and 40th over, and more tellingly, 48 in the second Powerplay. The final thrust was provided by Sabbir Rahman’s 25-ball 44 that had three fours and three sixes, the last two coming off the last two balls of the Bangladesh innings.
Bangladesh’s start with the bat, however, was not up to the mark. Tamim Iqbal played all around a straightish delivery while Anamul slogged and gave a simple catch to mid-off. Mahmudullah made no use of his second appearance as Bangladesh’s No 4, giving mid-on a simple grab.
Out of Zimbabwe’s eight bowlers used, Panyangara took 3 for 66, while Tendai Chatara took two wickets. There was not much discipline as they conceded 17 wides and couple of no-balls. Neither Nyumbu nor Tafadzwa Kamungozi bowled their quote of 10 overs, although they took a wicket each.
As it turned out, it wasn’t nearly enough to cause Bangladesh any more ODI woes in 2014.
Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal b Panyangara 5
Anamul Haque c Chigumbura b Chatara 12
Mominul Haque b Nyumbu 31
Mahmudullah c Kamungozi b Chatara 1
Shakib Al Hasan c Panyangara b Kamungozi 101
Mushfiqur Rahim c Mire b Panyangara 65
Sabbir Rahman not out 44
Mashrafe Mortaza b Panyangara 1
Arafat Sunny not out 1
Extras (lb 1, w 17, nb 2) 20
Total (7 wickets; 50 overs; 226 mins) 281
Did not batAl-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain
Fall of wickets 1-8 (Tamim Iqbal, 4.3 ov), 2-26 (Anamul Haque, 9.5 ov), 3-31 (Mahmudullah, 11.4 ov), 4-70 (Mominul Haque, 19.4 ov), 5-218 (Shakib Al Hasan, 43.2 ov), 6-246 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 47.2 ov), 7-264 (Mashrafe Mortaza, 49.2 ov)
Bowling
T Panyangara 10-1-66-3, TL Chatara 10-1-48-2, E Chigumbura 8-0-37-0, SF Mire 4-0-22-0, J Nyumbu 7-0-40-1, H Masakadza 1-0-8-0, T Kamungozi 8-0-40-1, Sikandar Raza 2-0-19-0
Zimbabwe
H Masakadza lbw b Mahmudullah 42
Sikandar Raza st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Shakib Al Hasan 15
V Sibanda c Rubel Hossain b Shakib Al Hasan 0
BRM Taylor c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Mashrafe Mortaza 54
RW Chakabva b Mahmudullah 9
E Chigumbura c Sabbir Rahman b Mashrafe Mortaza 15
SF Mire b Shakib Al Hasan 11
T Panyangara b Arafat Sunny 7
J Nyumbu c Mahmudullah b Shakib Al Hasan 4
TL Chatara b Arafat Sunny 10
T Kamungozi not out 12
Extras (lb 6, w 9) 15
Total (all out; 42.1 overs; 187 mins) 194
Fall of wickets 1-47 (Sikandar Raza, 7.3 ov), 2-47 (Sibanda, 7.5 ov), 3-92 (Masakadza, 16.3 ov), 4-124 (Chakabva, 24.4 ov), 5-146 (Taylor, 29.4 ov), 6-153 (Chigumbura, 33.1 ov), 7-168 (Mire, 35.4 ov), 8-170 (Panyangara, 36.2 ov), 9-180 (Nyumbu, 39.4 ov), 10-194 (Chatara, 42.1 ov)
Bowling
Mashrafe Mortaza 6-1-33-2, Al-Amin Hossain 2-0-21-0, Arafat Sunny 9.1-2-22-2, Shakib Al Hasan 10-0-41-4, Mominul Haque 1-0-11-0, Rubel Hossain 3-0-14-0, Mahmudullah 10-0-40-2, Sabbir Rahman 1-0-6-0
MATCH DETAILS
Toss – Zimbabwe, who chose to field
Series – Bangladesh led the 5-match series 1-0
ODI debuts – Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh); SF Mire (Zimbabwe)
Player of the match – Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Umpires – CB Gaffaney (New Zealand) and Sharfuddoula
TV umpire – Anisur Rahman
Match referee – RS Madugalle (Sri Lanka)
Reserve umpire – Masudur Rahman
