A half-century from Hamilton Masakadza was not enough for Zimbabwe to claim victory in the first Twenty20 international with Bangladesh, as the hosts sealed a four-wicket win.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Zimbabwe looked to be in an excellent position on 150-2 in the 18th over.Masakadza had been the star of the innings, hitting nine boundaries and two maximums on his way to 79 but, after he was run-out by Nurul Hasan – making his international debut for Bangladesh – Zimbabwe lost another four wickets and added only 13 more runs to finish on 163-7.
Bangladesh found it difficult to build meaningful partnerships in their reply but Sabbir Rahman produced a strong showing, scoring 46 off 36 balls.
His dismissal at the hands of Graeme Cremer (2-32) was quickly followed by those of Mushfiqur Rahim (26) and Mahmudullah (7) but Shakib Al Hasan hit 20 off 13 to lead Bangladesh to victory in Khulna.
Two Shakib fours and a wide delivery from Luke Jongwe (1-45) that went to the boundary made sure of triumph in the 19th over, their highest successful run chase in T20s.
Victory gives Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, which continues at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium tomorrow. (Omnisport)