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Zimbabwe 166 for 6 (Madhevere 73, Burl 34*, Shoriful 3-33) beat Bangladesh 143 (Shamim 29, Masakadza 3-20, Jongwe 3-31) by 23 runs
Harare: Zimbabwe registered their first win of Bangladesh's tour and saved the three-match T20I series.
Zimbabwe defended a total of 166, thanks to an all-round bowling performance led by Wellington Masakadza, who returned 3/20. Blessing Muzarabani picked up 2/21 as well, as Bangladesh were bowled out for 143.
The 23-run victory was set up by Wessley Madhevere, who starred with the bat and scored a well-paced 57-ball 73. Ryan Burl's explosive 19-ball 34* helped push the total beyond Bangladesh's reach.
Zimbabwe, after opting to bat, suffered the early loss of Tadiwanashe Marumani (3), with Mahedi Hasan going through him. Madhevere was then joined by Regis Chakabva, who fell to Shakib Al Hasan for a 9-ball 14.
Madhevere eventually found some support in Dion Myers. The duo stitched together a 57-run stand that came at a steady 49 deliveries, and it heped take the total to 99.
Myers (26) perished to Shoriful Islam before Sikander Raza, standing in as captain, was run out for 4. There were fears Zimbabwe were on the verge of a collapse, but Burl came into the middle and added some much-needed impetus.
Madhevere was dismissed two overs later, holing out after attempting a scoop, but Burl's enterprise ensured Zimbabwe posted a healthy 167-run target – Mohammad Saifuddin was tonked for 16 runs in the 19th over, and the final over off Shoriful yielded 10 runs.
Bangladesh never seemed in control in their chase. They were put under early pressure after the openers, Mohammad Naim and Soumya Sarkar, were dismissed within four deliveries by Blessing Muzarabani.
Mahedi Hasan and Shakib attempted to revive the innings, but when their 28-run stand was broken, Bangladesh encountered a slide. They went from 45/2 to 68/6, and Zimbabwe assumed control of proceedings.
They never let it slip. Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain attempted to resist with a 41-run partnership, but as the required run-rate shot up, the duo had no option but to attack.
That led to their dismissals. Both players holed out, and Bangladesh succumbed to 143/10 in 19.5 overs.
The decider will be played on 25 July in Harare.
