ABU DHABI — Veterans Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor rolled back the years with a magnificent 150-run partnership, setting the foundation for Zimbabwe to secure a commanding 99-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening match of the UAE ODI Tri-Series on Saturday.
The comprehensive win in Abu Dhabi marked a dream start for Sikandar Raza in his first match as Zimbabwe’s ODI captain. While the senior batting duo rescued their side from a perilous early collapse, a disciplined fast-bowling unit spearheaded by Brad Evans ensured that the total of 271 for 8 was more than enough, bowling Bangladesh out for just 172 in response.
The afternoon began with high drama as Bangladesh’s pace spearhead, Taskin Ahmed, rocked the Zimbabwe top order in a devastating new-ball spell. Taskin subjected opener Brian Bennett to a testing working-over for the first five balls of the match, ultimately drawing an edge to dismiss him with the sixth delivery.
Taskin maintained his rhythm and soon accounted for Ben Curran with a similar delivery that moved the opposite way, trapping the left-handed opener. When debutant Tafadzwa Tsiga skied a top-edged pull shortly after, Zimbabwe had slipped to a precarious 24 for 3 inside the seventh over.
Rather than panicking under intense pressure, the seasoned pair of Ervine and Taylor opted for a calculated rebuilding job. Both in their forties, the experienced campaigners showed immense composure, steadily rotating the strike and finding regular boundaries to shift the momentum back toward Zimbabwe.
Initially, they attacked the Bangladesh pacers with a flurry of boundaries before smoothly transitioning to neutralize the threat of the spinners. Ervine, in particular, showcased his technical mastery by executing the reverse-sweep multiple times with great precision.
Taylor, meanwhile, reached a significant milestone, bringing up his first ODI half-century in six years, having last passed the fifty-run mark in the format against Pakistan back in 2020. During this impressive knock, Taylor also added to his legacy by extending his record for the most runs scored in ODI cricket for Zimbabwe.
The monumental fourth-wicket partnership eventually reached 150 runs, firmly steering Zimbabwe out of trouble. However, the partnership was broken immediately after achieving the milestone when Taylor miscued a reverse sweep off Saif Hassan, getting caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan.
Taylor’s dismissal triggered a brief period of instability for Zimbabwe. Wessley Madhevere and Ervine attempted to maintain the scoring rate, striking seven fours in quick succession before both fell in a short burst of wickets. Ervine was caught behind for 93, falling agonizingly short of a well-deserved century.
Just as it appeared Zimbabwe’s innings might unravel completely, Newman Nyamhuri and Wellington Masakadza came together to mount a crucial rescue act. The pair blasted an unbeaten 37 runs for the eighth wicket, pushing the team’s total to a competitive 271 for 8 at the end of their 50 overs. Taskin Ahmed finished as the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with figures of 3 for 44.
In reply, Bangladesh began their run chase with aggressive intent. Tanzid Hasan gave his side a superb start, hammering nine fours and a towering six in a brisk knock of 46 runs from just 38 balls. Tanzid was particularly brilliant square of the wicket, cutting and square-driving with supreme confidence while seamlessly incorporating his favorite flicks and pulls into his strokeplay.
However, Bangladesh suffered a major blow in the seventh over when Soumya Sarkar edged Blessing Muzarabani to second slip, where Bennett took a sharp catch. Tanzid received a lucky reprieve when he was on 46, as Muzarabani misjudged a catch at deep third. Yet, fortune failed to favor him for long; off the very next delivery, Tanzid guided the ball straight into the lap of substitute fielder Ryan Burl.
To compound Bangladesh’s woes, Brad Evans bowled a searing delivery that breached Najmul Hossain Shanto’s defenses immediately after, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 68 for 3 inside the tenth over.
When captain Raza introduced himself into the attack and trapped his opposite number, Towhid Hridoy, leg-before-wicket for 13 with a delivery that drifted back into the batter’s back leg, Zimbabwe seized firm control of the contest. The pressure continued to mount as Mosaddek Hossain fell lbw to Wellington Masakadza, who utilized the left-arm orthodox angle brilliantly with a delivery that held its line after angling into the right-hander.
Masakadza struck again soon after, having Saif caught behind for 26. Evans then returned to the attack and struck twice in a dramatic over. Having originally planned to hand the 28th over to Raza before changing his mind at the last moment, Evans utilized the short ball to perfection, removing both Nurul Hasan and Shoriful Islam as both batsmen holed out in the deep.
Raza soon etched his name further into the record books by claiming his 100th wicket in ODI cricket, dismissing Rishad Hossain, who holed out at long-on after a brief counter-attack that featured four boundaries in a single Nyamhuri over on his way to 23 off 33 balls.
Evans brought an emphatic end to the contest by securing a caught-and-bowled dismissal against Mustafizur Rahman. Immediately after securing the final wicket, Evans sportsmanship-like offered a handshake to the Bangladesh number eleven, capping off a thoroughly dominant performance that handed Zimbabwe a crucial early advantage in the tri-series.
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