Muzarabani, Ngarava star as Zimbabwe crush Bangladesh by 32 Runs in first T20I

In a series of shocking events, Zimbabwe claimed a dominating win over Bangladesh in the first T20I of the three game series on Wednesday, July 18 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The Sikandar Raza-led side displayed a sensational bowling performance while defending 171 against the Asian side, and sealed the win by 32 runs.

Heroic effort from Zimbabwe

Winning the toss, Bangladesh skipper opted to bowl first. However, the decision turned out to be backfiring, as Zimbabwe batters showcased their resilience against the Bangladeshi bowling attack. Zimbabwe endured a mixed start, as their opener Tadiwanashe Marumani got out after hitting two sixes, and departed after scoring 14 off 9 balls. On the other hand, star opener Brian Bennett managed to play a counter attacking knock of 44 runs off 30 balls, hitting six boundaries and one six.

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After losing Brian's wicket, Zimbabwe witnessed a batting collapse as Bangladesh took wickets in quick succession. Dion Myers and skipper Sikandar Raza both got dismissed after scoring 20 runs. However, Ryan Burl managed to play a calm knock of unbeaten 30 runs off 25 balls, hitting two boundaries and one six. Riding on Ryan's efforts, Zimbabwe managed to post 170/6 at the end of the first innings. For Bangladesh, Nahid Rana emerged as top bowler, finishing the innings with the figures of 4/35.

Flop show from Bangladesh batters

In response, Bangladesh ensured a disastrous start, losing their openers Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hansan Tamim for just 12 and 16 respectively. Captain Towhid could not contribute much with the bat, as he scored only 14 off 13. However, Yasir Ali tried to get close to the target with his valiant knock of 54 off just 38 deliveries consisting of two boundaries and three sixes at a strike rate of 142.11, before losing his wicket off Richard Ngarava's bowling.

After Ali's wicket no one from Bangladesh managed to stay at the pitch for a longer duration, as the Asian side was bundled out for 138 in 19 overs. For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarbani and Richard Ngarava emerged as standout performers with their spells of 4/17 and 4/26 respectively.