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ZIMBABWE VS BANGLADESH 3RD T20I MATCH DETAILS:

Match – Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I, Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe, 2022
Date and Time – August 2, 2022; 4:30 PM IST
Venue – Harare Sports Club, Harare.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will lock horns in the third and final T20I of their three-match series on Tuesday, August 2, with the series locked at 1-1. Zimbabwe won the opening game by 17 runs and had a chance to seal the series on Sunday itself.

However, Bangladesh, playing without many senior players, restored parity in the must-win encounter. After Zimbabwe opted to bat first, Mosaddek Hossain’s five-wicket haul left the hosts reeling at 31-5 by the end of the seventh over. Sikandar Raza, though, continued his good form, scoring 62 and adding 80 runs for the sixth wicket.

His knock propelled the home side to 135 in their allotted 20 overs. However, Bangladesh chased that down, thanks to a brilliant half-century from Liton Das, with 15 deliveries to spare. The series is now set up nicely going into the last game.

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe’s batting let it down in the second match as only one out of the top-6 batters could get into double figures. In fact, with five wickets lost inside the first seven overs, there was a real chance that Zimbabwe may not be able to play the entire quota of overs.

Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl batted well to give the team some sort of a respectable total to defend.

Picking Raza as the Top Batter is the easy choice but we don’t like the odds being offered. They do not justify the risk that you take in a market such as this. We are going to stay away from the Zimbabwe batting or bet against it whenever possible.

We saw Zimbabwe’s bowlers struggle in both the matches before this and there is little reason to suggest things will change. There is a lack of pace and wicket-taking threat with the new ball in the absence of Blessing Muzarabani. The spinners are accurate and plug away but not a single one of them can be termed world-class.

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh will be without Nurul Hasan for this match but it is going to be bolstered by the availability of Mahmudullah. He will add experience to the lineup and is certainly more than capable of providing the power needed in the middle order.

Bangladesh’s batting lineup ticked off an easy chase without much trouble in the second match. Litton Das looked good and we have been quite impressed with Afif Hossain as well. The team is playing with intent and making an effort to be proactive even though it does not necessarily have the power hitters that other teams do.

Bangladesh’s bowling had a bad outing in the first match but it was spectacular in the second. Mossadeq Hossain picked up five wickets to end the match. The early wickets also allowed Mahedy Hasan, Shoriful Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman to bowl unchallenged.

The conditions were a bit more spin-friendly and slow than what we saw in the first match. That played right into the hands of the Bangladeshi players.

PITCH REPORT

Interestingly, the two games played at the venue were contrasting ones. While Zimbabwe crossed the 200-run mark in the opener, they only posted 135 in the next. With this game being the decider, expect the team winning the toss to bowl first.

WEATHER FORECAST

The weather forecast for Tuesday is clear. There’s no chance of rain, with the temperature expected to hover in the mid-20s.

PROBABLE XIS

ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe is unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI for the decider unless there are any last-minute injuries. The same team had performed well in the first game, so the same set of players could be persisted with for the third.

Probable XI: Regis Chakabva (WK), Craig Ervine (C), Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Tanaka Chivanga.

BANGLADESH

The visitors have been rocked by an injury to their captain Nurul Hasan ahead of the decider. He has been reportedly ruled out of the entire tour with a fracture to his finger. Bangladesh is yet to announce the captain for this game.

Probable XI: Liton Das (WK), Munim Shahriar, Anamul Haque, Afif Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto,Parvez Hossain Emon, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud.

PROBABLE BEST BATTER

SIKANDAR RAZA:

Zimbabwe’s veteran middle order batter Sikandar Raza has been in tremendous form in the series after recording back-to-back fifties. He has showcased his adaptability by playing two contrasting yet impactful innings so far, and given his exploits, he will be hoping to leave a stamp on the series decider.

PROBABLE BEST BOWLER

MOSADDEK HOSSAIN:

While Mehidy Hasan has risen considerably in international cricket in the last 12 months, he has finally found a more than an able partner in crime in the form of young off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain. The 26-year-old bamboozled the batters in the second T20I on his way to his maiden fifer for the national team. 

MATCH PREDICTION

Zimbabwe stunned Bangladesh with their aggression in the series opener, but the visitors hit back well in the second game to level the series. Although Bangladesh has momentum with them, they have been plagued by an injury to their captain, which Zimbabwe would look to exploit.

Prediction – Zimbabwe to win.