July, 11 (V7N) - Bangladesh ended their ODI campaign on a resounding note, cruising to a seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the third and final one-day international at the Harare Sports Club, though the home side had already secured the series with victories in the opening two fixtures. The win not only prevented a clean sweep but also provided a timely injection of confidence for the Tigers ahead of the upcoming T20I leg, which begins in Bulawayo on July 15.
The foundation of Bangladesh’s successful chase was laid by an outstanding opening stand between Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Soumya Sarkar, who put on 151 runs for the first wicket while pursuing Zimbabwe’s modest total of 199. Tanzid, who was named Player of the Match for his fluent 94 off 101 balls, described the surface as far more batsman-friendly than in the previous encounters, with the ball coming onto the bat evenly and allowing him to play his strokes freely. He acknowledged that after the early losses in the series, a substantial partnership was essential to get the chase back on track, and his combination with Soumya provided exactly that stability.
Soumya contributed a measured 69 from 82 deliveries, punctuated with six boundaries and two sixes, before Tanaka Chivanga eventually broke the stand by clean-bowling him. Tanzid himself appeared destined for a second ODI century, but his innings was cut short when Ernest Masuku dismissed him for 94, an effort that included eight fours and three sixes and also saw him reach the milestone of 1,000 ODI runs. Masuku struck again in the same over to remove Towhid Hridoy for a duck, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 18 to guide his side past the finishing line with more than 14 overs to spare.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s pace attack had set up the victory in fine style, with Shoriful Islam returning figures of 4-44 to help restrict the hosts to a chaseable total, even though the seamer-friendly conditions offered plenty of assistance. Taskin Ahmed provided excellent support with 2-32 from his ten overs, and the pair reduced Zimbabwe to 27-3 inside the first 13 overs after captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and elected to bowl first. Wessly Madhevere top-scored for Zimbabwe with a polished 75 off 74 balls, sharing a 48-run stand with Innocent Kaia, who made 25, before left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam removed both stand-in captain Sikandar Raza and Madhevere to stall the home innings. Brad Evans once again provided late fireworks with a rapid 50 from 43 deliveries, his second successive half-century of the series, but Shoriful returned to dismiss him and clean up the tail, ensuring Zimbabwe could not push beyond 199.
In the aftermath, Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressed his satisfaction with the performance, singling out the opening bowlers and the record partnership for special praise. He noted that the victory would serve as a valuable morale booster for the T20I series, though he remained realistic about the need for continued adaptation to the local conditions, acknowledging that his side still have areas to work on. Richard Ngarava, who captained Zimbabwe in the absence of the rested Richard Ngarava, reflected with pride on his first assignment as leader, highlighting the emergence of younger players and expressing delight at clinching the series, even if the final result did not go their way. Evans, who was named Player of the Series for his consistent contributions with the bat, admitted the disappointment of losing the last match but took heart from his personal growth, crediting his coaches and viewing the T20I challenge as a fresh opportunity to build on the momentum his team have generated.
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