Bangladesh has gone up 1-0 in the five match ODI series against hosts, Zimbabwe, by easily disposing them off by eight wickets in the first game of the series.
Bangladesh chose to field first after winning the toss, a clear deviation from a strategy which usually involves batting first, piling on the runs and then unleashing the spinners. However, the tactic worked well as the Zimbabwean batting barely rose to the need of the hour. Apart from the comeback man, Mark Vermeulen, not one batsman surpassed 20 in the inning, and the inning was punctuated with a lack of partnerships right throughout.
Vermeulen, who had earlier been banned by Zimbabwe Cricket for arson, came back with a bang, as he smashed a 92 but was unlucky not to get to his century as he was run-out while attempting a second run. Nazmul Hossain picked up three wickets in his spell of 6.5 overs as Zimbabwe capitulated to 207 all out.
In reply, Bangladesh made a complete mincemeat of the hosts’ bowling. After the first wicket had added 30 runs in only 3.4 overs, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful gave no chance to the Zimbabweans with a 137-run partnership for the second wicket. Tamim Iqbal scored 63, before he got out, but, by then the match had been well and truly wrapped. Ashraful duly completed his century, as the visitors romped home with more than 15 overs to spare.
The second game of the series will be played on 11th of August at Bulawayo.