CHITTAGONG: Tamim Iqbal smashed seven sixes in a brisk 95 as Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by six wickets in the fifth and final one-day international on Sunday to clinch the series 3-1.
The left-handed opener also cracked five fours in a 96-ball knock to help Bangladesh pass Zimbabwe’s total of 188-6 with seven overs to spare. The fourth match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a wet outfield in Chittagong on Friday.
It was Bangladesh’s second successive one-day series victory at home, having beaten New Zealand in October. Man-of-the-match Tamim put on 136 for the second wicket with Junaid Siddique (56 not out) to ensure the victory after opener Imrul Kayes (two) had fallen in paceman Christopher Mpofu’s first over.
He hit the first six of the Bangladeshi innings, lofting Mpofu over long-off. In the same over, he gave a chance on 24 but Mpofu failed to hold a return catch.
Tamim looked set to complete his fourth one-day century when he fell playing an aggressive shot, lofting left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa to deep mid-wicket where Graeme Cremer dived forward to take the catch.
Siddique hit just one four in his sixth half-century in one-dayers. Bangladesh earlier put in an impressive bowling effort to restrict Zimbabwe to a modest total despite a fighting 64 by Tatenda Taibu, who hit one six and one four in a 104-ball knock for his 16th half-century in one-dayers. Paceman Mashrafe Mortaza (2-25) rattled the tourists with two early wickets in a lively opening spell, trapping opener Hamilton Masakadza (six) and Dabengwa (nine) leg-before.
Zimbabwe were struggling at 21-3 in the 11th over before Craig Ervine (46) and Taibu steadied the innings with a 95-run stand for the fourth wicket. Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took the last three wickets, removing Ervine, Taibu and skipper Elton Chigumbura (23) to finish with 3-58 off 10 overs. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who took 13 wickets in the first three one-dayers against Zimbabwe, also bowled well as he conceded just 31 in 10 overs. He was named man of the series.
