Experiments go awry

The contrast between the scenes at the end of yesterday's match at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna and those of the previous two T20Is at the venue could hardly have been starker.

The crowd had quietly slipped away from the stadium; there were no firecrackers burst; and almost nobody celebrated on the ground.

In fact, Zimbabwe's 31-run victory over the hosts was so one-sided that it even failed to bring a spring in the steps of the visitors, which was a bit surprising considering that this was their first win in five matches.

The silence and the lack of excitement following the game almost reflected the ambience generally witnessed during a domestic encounter.

The hosts had made five changes to the team yesterday. They decided to rest Tamim Iqbal and give Imrul Kayes a go and also included four debutants in the playing eleven.

And the Zimbabweans took advantage of those changes and attacked right from the start.

Debutants Abu Haider and Mohammad Shahid were asked to open the bowling. Sensing an opportunity to attack, both Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza unleashed themselves.

19-year-old Haider was guilty of bowling too full and was smacked for 18 runs in the third over by Sibanda. The debutant was punished to the tune of three fours and a flat six.

In the very next over Masakadza powered Shahid for four consecutive fours. Shahid though managed to get Masakadza out as the Zimbabwean slapped a wide delivery straight to point.

Unlike the last two games, the wicket did not change the flow of the match as Zimbabwe raced to 59 for 1 in six overs.

The rains briefly interrupted the game soon after the seventh over. Upon resumption, Shakib Al Hasan removed Richmond Mutumbami and Sibanda to peg back the visitors a bit.

However, the boundaries began to flow once Malcolm Waller took to the crease. He smacked four sixes and two fours in his 23-ball 49. While he began the charge in the 13th over, his partner Sean Williams joined the carnage a bit later and hit a 26-ball 32. The duo put on 70 runs in just seven overs as Zimbabwe finished on 187 for 6.

Never before had Bangladesh chased a target of that magnitude in T20 cricket and it was bound to be tough without Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim in the side.

The pressure was on and Imrul Kayes was the first to crumble, as he was bowled by Tendai Chisoro in the very first over. The in-form Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar put on a 67-run stand and brought Bangladesh back in the game.

However, as in the past, the batsmen failed to carry on with their starts. Soumya, who looked extremely vulnerable at the crease and was lucky not to be dismissed on a couple of occasions, eventually threw his wicket away for 25 in the eighth over.

The responsibility then fell on Sabbir, who responded with nine fours in a 32-ball 50. However, he was caught in the deep off Sikandar Raza soon after he reached his 50 in the 12th over.

From there on, Bangladesh's middle order crumbled. Debutant Mosaddek Hossain, Shakib and Mahmudullah Riyad were dismissed in a span of seven balls and by the 15th over the hosts were struggling at 107 for 6.

A scoop-filled 30 off 17 from Nurul Hasan towards the end lessened the margin of the defeat as the Tigers were restricted to 156 for 6.