Twitter Reactions: Spirited Zimbabwe stun Bangladesh to level the T20I series
Wesley Madhevere won the Man of the Match for his impressive 73-run knock.
Zimbabwe have finally managed to defeat Bangladesh after losing to them in a one-off Test, three ODIs and the first T20I. They needed to win the second T20I to stay alive in the series and finally, the promise that they showed right through the tour, bore fruitful results for them. They won the must-win encounter rather comfortably by 23 runs to take the T20I series into the decider.
The hosts opted to bat first after winning the toss much like they did in the opening T20I. But Tadiwanashe Marumani got out early in the second over of the innings. Even the in-form Regis Chakabva could muster only 14 runs off 9 balls with Shakib Al Hasan dismissing him in the 6th over. However, Wesley Madhevere was striking it well at the other end.
He stitched a 57-run partnership with Dion Myers first for the third wicket and then added crucial runs on his own while skipper Sikandar Raza was at the other end. Madhevere smashed an impressive 73 off 57 balls with five fours and three sixes. Ryan Burl provided the final impetus to the innings with an unbeaten 34 off just 19 balls as Zimbabwe finished strongly on 166/6 in 20 overs.
Shoriful Islam was the best bowler for Bangladesh as he returned with the figures of 3/33 while Mahedi Hasan and Shakib picked up a wicket each.
Bangladesh crumble in the chase
Bangladesh needed a good start in the chase. But they crumbled right from the word go. The ever impressive Blessing Muzarabani struck twice in his first over to send back both the openers Mohammad Naim and Soumya Sarkar. The onus was now on the veteran batsman Shakib Al Hasan to steady the innings. But the spinner Wellington Masakadza had other ideas.
He picked up a quick three-fer to leave Bangladesh reeling at 53/5 by the end of the 9th over. It was all one-way traffic since then and despite brief partnerships, the visitors were never in the game. Shamim Hossain (29 off 13) and Mohammad Saifuddin (19 off 15) tried their best but the target was a little too much for them in the end. Eventually, Bangladesh were bundled out for 143 runs in the final over of the innings.
Apart from Masakadza, Luke Jongwe picked up three wickets while Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara accounted for two scalps each. The third and final T20I of the series will now be played on July 25 (Sunday).
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
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