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હોમ  »  Cricket  »  Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe, 2026  »  1st T20I Full Commentary

Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I Full Commentary

Result · Jul 15 2026, Wed - 04:00 PM (IST)
BAN
138/10 (19.0)
ZIM
170/6 (20.0)
Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 32 runs
CRR:7.26
Player Of The Match
  • 0.0

    We are back for the second chapter to unfold! The camera pans to Zimbabwe players, who are huddling near the boundary ropes. Skipper Sikandar Raza has a few words before his teammates scatter to take their respective fielding positions. Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan will open the innings for Bangladesh. Sikandar Raza will start with the new ball. Let's play...

  • 0.0

    ... THE RUN CHASE ...

  • 0.0

    Will 170 be enough? It did seem as though scoring became difficult once the ball lost its hardness, and Bangladesh will be keen to make the most of the Powerplay. With the sun continuing to beat down, it remains to be seen whether the surface slows down further in the second innings. It is all set up for an intriguing contest. Stick around.

  • 0.0

    Let's hear from Brian Bennett - Brian starts off saying that it is not always easy to switch to T20s, but he feels like his team has done well to post a competitive total. About the pitch, he says that it's not much different from Harare but also says that it's afternoon and it will be interesting to see how the ball behaves going ahead. Shares that the pitch is on the slower side. He says that if their bowlers can bowl in the right areas, they can defend this total.

  • 0.0

    A tale of two halves - Having been asked to bat first, Brian Bennett took the attack to Bangladesh and ensured Zimbabwe made the most of the Powerplay. Nahid Rana's dismissal of Tadiwanashe Marumani was the only bright spot for the tourists in the first 6 overs as they struggled to maintain the discipline the surface demanded. At 87/2, the hosts had a decent platform with Brian Bennett having gotten himself in, but after his departure, the innings lost its way. To their credit, Bangladesh adjusted well to the surface and made scoring difficult for the home side, but they will be a bit disappointed with the finish.

  • 0.0

    Zimbabwe finish with a flourish - 18 runs off the final over, the most productive over of the innings, and that is just the kind of finish the home side were searching for. Even more remarkably, the damage was inflicted on Nahid Rana, who had only gone for 8 runs in his previous 3 overs. The final over could end up proving to be the difference by the end of the day.

  • 19.6

    FOUR! Brad Evans finishes things off on a high! Nahid Rana goes full again and around off. Brad Evans is expecting that and stays deep inside his crease. He reaches out and blasts it through extra covers for four more runs. Zimbabwe end up on 170/6!

  • 19.5

    FOUR! A gift and gladly accepted! This is a juicy full toss, on middle. Brad Evans does not miss out and slogs it away towards the deep mid-wicket fence, where it just bounces before the ropes for a boundary.

  • 19.4

    FOUR! Cheeky and effective! Nahid Rana goes for the yorker again, around off. Brad Evans shuffles across early, takes it on the full and nails the scoop to the fine leg fence for another boundary.

  • 19.3

    Low full toss, on off, Ryan Burl drills it to long off for a run.

  • 19.2

    Fuller one and around off, Brad Evans lofts it on the bounce to long off for a single.

  • 19.1

    FOUR! Perfect start to the over! Nahid Rana misses the yorker by an inch around off. Brad Evans stays deep inside his crease, gets his front leg out and smashes it to the long off fence for a boundary.

  • 0.0

    Nahid Rana to close out the innings.

  • 18.9

    Sticks to the fuller length and keeps it away from the batter. Ryan Burl drills it away towards sweeper cover for a brace.

  • 18.8

    Fuller again and on middle, angling in, Brad Evans has a swipe across the line but misses as the ball lobs up off his pads to the off side. Leg bye taken. That also brings up the 150 for Zimbabwe!

  • 18.7

    WIDE! Errs in line and serves this full but down the leg side, Brad Evans fails to glance it away. Wided.

  • 18.6

    Pitched up and just outside off, Brad Evans backs a bit too far away. He throws his hands at it but does not get near the ball.

  • 18.5

    Fuller and around off, Ryan Burl steps across and forces it down to long off for a single.

  • 18.4

    WIDE! Short of length but way outside off, angling further away, Ryan Burl throws his bat at it but fails to connect. Wided again.

  • 18.3

    Back of a length and around off, angling away, Ryan Burl uses his feet and slashes hard but misses.

  • 18.2

    WIDE! A wide yorker, outside off, just over the tramline, Ryan Burl moves across but fails to reach it. Wided.

  • 18.1

    Fuller one and on leg, Brad Evans clips it through square leg for a single.

  • 0.0

    Mohammad Saifuddin (3-0-28-2) to bowl the 19th over.

  • 17.6

    FOUR! Gets it away! Nahid Rana misses the yorker and serves a low full toss, outside off. Ryan Burl extends his arms and thrashes it wide of mid off for a boundary.

  • 17.5

    Right in the blockhole, on middle, Brad Evans tucks it away through square leg for a single.

  • 17.4

    No hat-trick! Fuller delivery and just around off, holds its line, Brad Evans goes for the big booming drive but gets beaten on the outside edge.

  • 0.0

    Brad Evans walks in to face the hat-trick ball.

  • 17.3

    OUT! TAKEN! Two in two for Nahid Rana. Pitched up and around middle. Tashinga Musekiwa clears his front leg and tries to go big down the ground but does not get under the ball fully. He gets no timing on it as the ball flies towards long on, where Saif Hassan comes forward, crouches down on one knee and pouches it safely. A golden duck for Musekiwa and Rana is on a hat trick now.

  • 0.0

    Tashinga Musekiwa comes out to the middle.

  • 17.2

    OUT! STRAIGHT TO THE FIELDER! Nahid Rana can do no wrong in this game. He goes fuller and around off. Milton Shumba shuffles across and gets down to scoop it away. He takes it on the full but unfortunately does not get the elevation and hits it straight to short fine, where Taskin Ahmed takes a good catch with the ball travelling to him quickly. Zimbabwe lose half their side now.

  • 0.0

    One down, two to go! That brings us to the end of a gripping contest as Zimbabwe take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series and move within one win of sealing it, while Bangladesh will be desperate to bounce back and force a decider. The action now shifts back to Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo for the second T20I on Friday, 17th July. The first ball will be bowled at 10.30 am GMT, but be sure to join us a little earlier for all the build-up. Until then, it's goodbye and take care!

  • 0.0

    The victorious skipper of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza starts off by saying that on this wicket, 150 looked par, but he says that his bowlers did a phenomenal job. He then praises Brian Bennett, especially the way he took on the responsibility to keep his wicket but still scored at a good rate. Raza shares that he is also feeling really proud that the team worked as a unit, and it is something that they were working for after they came back from the World Cup, but Raza also emphasises that they need to keep this momentum for the upcoming matches, as they have two more matches to go.

  • 0.0

    PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Richard Ngarava wins the award for his outstanding spell of 4/26. He says there isn't too much to add and is simply delighted that the team comes away with the win. He praises the entire side for being ready to defend the total and is pleased with the collective effort. Speaking about the conditions, he says the Bulawayo surface is quite slow and is happy he managed to adapt to it. He adds that it's especially satisfying to see everyone chip in and contribute to the victory

  • 0.0

    The captain of Bangladesh - Towhid Hridoy, on winning the toss and electing to bowl first, says that they could have done better with the ball. They leaked many boundaries in the final phase of the game, which they could have easily avoided. About the game plan for this match, he says that when you are chasing 170-180, you need partnerships, but as a batting unit, they failed to deliver. Hridoy shares that the conditions here are better for batting, but they need a few things to work on. Says that Rana is a very good bowler and he has been performing well from the past few series.

  • 0.0

    Presentation Time...

  • 0.0

    Pace pair run through Bangladesh - Zimbabwe's bowlers delivered when it mattered most. Richard Ngarava set the tone by removing both openers in the same over, before Blessing Muzarabani struck to leave Bangladesh three down inside the Powerplay. Although the visitors briefly revived the chase, Milton Shumba's introduction helped shift the momentum back. Once Ngarava dismissed the well-set Yasir, Bangladesh's resistance crumbled. Ngarava finished with outstanding figures of 4/26, while Muzarabani claimed 4/17 as the hosts ripped through the lower order, taking the final five wickets for just eight runs to wrap up a commanding victory.

  • 0.0

    Hosts recover to reach 170 - Earlier in the game, Zimbabwe recovered well to post a competitive 170 after being put in to bat. Brian Bennett gave them a flying start with a brisk 44 off 30, but Bangladesh fought back through the middle overs to slow the scoring. Ryan Burl then anchored the finish with an unbeaten 30 off 25, while Brad Evans provided the late fireworks to lift the hosts to a challenging total. Bangladesh's bowling was a mixed bag. Nahid Rana starred with a superb four-wicket haul, although he leaked 18 runs in the final over that handed Zimbabwe a timely boost. Mohammad Saifuddin claimed two wickets, Taskin Ahmed kept things tight, but the spinners endured a difficult outing, with all three conceding at 10 runs or more an over.

  • 0.0

    Yasir's fifty goes in vain - Bangladesh's chase never truly gathered momentum despite a decent start, as they slipped to 34/3 inside the Powerplay. Captain Towhid Hridoy and Yasir Ali briefly steadied the innings with a 39-run partnership, but Hridoy's dismissal and Nurul's mix-up left the visitors in further trouble at 78/5. Yasir, making his return to the T20I side, kept Bangladesh in the contest with a composed half-century and added a valuable 52-run stand with Mahedi Hasan. However, with 41 runs still required, both batters fell in quick succession, leaving the lower order with too much to do as the chase fizzled out.

  • 0.0

    Zimbabwe seize early advantage - Zimbabwe have drawn first blood in the T20I series, just as they did in the ODIs, and now stand just one victory away from completing a clean sweep over Bangladesh across all three formats. It was another polished performance from the hosts, who held their nerve in the key moments and responded better under pressure. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have plenty to reflect on as they head into the remaining two matches looking to keep the series alive.

  • 18.6

    OUT! TIMBER! Blessing Muzarabani hammers the final nail in the coffin and with that, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 32 runs, taking the lead in the series. This is much fuller, angling into the off stump. Nahid Rana makes room like he did in the last ball and swings his bat, but it is nowhere near the delivery. The ball beats the outside edge with a large gap and hits the off stump to uproot it from its place. Such a satisfying sight if you are a pace bowler.

  • 18.5

    Back of a length, shaping in, down the leg side. Nahid Rana makes room and attempts a pull shot, but it beats the top edge.

  • 18.4

    Nails the yorker now, angling into the leg side, Nahid Rana backs away and swings again but only connects with thin air.

  • 18.3

    Dug into the surface, on middle, Nahid Rana has a heave across the line and misses again.

  • 18.2

    Back of a length and around middle, Nahid Rana backs away to pull but misses.

  • 0.0

    Nahid Rana is the last man in.

  • 18.1
    Nasum Ahmed c Tashinga Musekiwa b Blessing Muzarabani 2 (3)

    OUT! TAKEN! Zimbabwe are just 1 wicket away from victory. Muzarabani bends his back and offers a good bouncer, over off, angling in. Nasum Ahmed opens his stance to pull it away, but connects with the top half of the bat. The ball flies toward square leg, where Tashinga Musekiwa pouches the catch safely into his palms.

  • 17.7

    FOUR! SHOT! Fuller in length, angling in, Taskin Ahmed drills it toward the left of the long on fielder for four runs.

  • 0.0

    Zimbabwe is sticking to the short-ball tactics.

  • 17.6

    OUT! CAUGHT! Make it four for Richard Ngarava. Can he get his fiver-fer with just one ball left in his spell? Back of a length, pitching on off and shaping inward. Mohammad Saifuddin lifts his front leg up and looks to pull it away, but the ball catches the top edge, before it loops and falls into the cusp of Milton Shumba, stationed in the deep fine leg region. Bangladesh are 134/8 now.

  • 17.5

    WIDE! Another slower one, going down the leg side, Mohammad Saifuddin misses out on his sweep.

  • 17.4

    Slower one, on a good length, outside off, Nasum Ahmed slaps it to deep cover for a single.

  • 17.3

    Yorker, on middle and leg, Mohammad Saifuddin jams it to square leg for one.

  • 17.2

    Bumper on middle, Nasum Ahmed pulls it awya to wide of bacward square leg for one.

  • 0.0

    A massive moment in the context of the game. Nasum Ahmed walks out to bat.

  • 17.1
    Yasir Ali c Brad Evans b Richard Ngarava 54 (38)

    OUT! CAUGHT! There comes the big wicket as Richard Ngarava has got the set batter. Zimbabwe will believe they are on top now. Short of a length, outside off. Yasir Ali hangs back and looks to lash it over the cover region, but the ball climbs up bigger than he expected. However, Yasir still goes through his shot but miscues it pretty badly. The ball loops toward cover and Brad Evans reverse-cups it before dropping on his back.

  • 0.0

    Richard Ngarava to bowl out now.

  • 16.6

    Short again, in the channel outside off, Mohammad Saifuddin tries to pull it across but fails to connect it yet again.

  • 16.5

    Short of a length, angling away from the batter. Mohammad Saifuddin swings and misses.

  • 0.0

    End of the 52-run stand. Mohammad Saifuddin comes out to the middle now.

  • 16.4
    Mahedi Hasan c Sikandar Raza b Blessing Muzarabani 19 (18)

    OUT! TAKEN! The dropped catch won't be hurting Zimbabwe much. Good-length delivery, outside off. Mahedi Hasan shuffles across and tries to loft it over mid off, but finds the connection from the outer part of his bat. The ball balloons toward the left of the mid on region, where Sikandar Raza keeps his calm and does the job neatly. Bangladesh are 130/6, chasing 171 runs.

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