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Some effective work from the Zimbabwean bowlers this morning, after Zim won the toss & elected to field, saw Zimbabwe faced with a target of 246 to win, at a required run rate of 4.94/over - perfectly gettable, but a history of batting collapses and over-cautious play would have had most Zimbabwe supporters fearing the worst. A wobbly display by the top order didn't help matters, either, but outstanding batting displays from Stuart Matsikenyeri (89) and Elton Chigumbura (70) laid the foundations for a nail-biting finish. When Utseya fell with the score at 242/7, followed by Higgins next ball with Zim needing 5 runs from 10 balls to win, there were visions of a last-minute choke - but a hefty 4 by Chigumbura at the beginning of the final over saw Zimbabwe home.
Bangladesh 246/7 (50 overs: Shahriar Nafees 78, Habibul Bashar 40; Tawanda Mupariwa 4/61, Hamilton Masakadza 2/33)
Zimbabwe 248/8 (49.1 overs: Stuart Matsikenyeri 89, Elton Chigumbura 70; Mashrafe Mortaza 4/41, Shahadat Hossain 3/38)
Zimbabwe win by 2 wickets and lead series 1-0.

Zimbabwe win toss & elect to field.

Bangladesh Innings
15/1 3.6 Javed Omar c Taylor b Mupariwa 8
Edges the ball to Taylor after an outswinger from Tawanda Mupariwa, & Zimbabwe draw first blood.

16/2 5.3 Aftab Ahmed c Taylor b Mupariwa 0
Another swinging ball from Mupariwa, Aftab can't quite decide what to do with it & edges it behind to Taylor.

67/2 14.5 50-partnership - Ashraful & Nafrees building up a worrying head of steam here...

75/3 16.2 Mohammad Ashraful c Higgins b Masakadza 25
Finally, a breakthrough - slower ball from Masakadza aired to Higgins at backward point.

127/3 30.0 10 overs of spin from Prosper Utseya and Ryan Higgins yield just 33 runs for Bangladesh - would have been better except Higgins' 5th over was a 10-run shocker. Zim are reigning the run-rate back nicely, but a few wickets would really help shift the game in Zimbabwe's favour...

142/3 32.0 Whoops - spoke too soon. 25 runs from the past 3 overs is spoiling the spinners' efforts - Bangladesh getting confident, need something special to slow them down again...

146/4 33.5 Habibul Bashar c Chibhabha b Mupariwa 40
Mupariwa returns & strikes almost immediately - just what Zimbabwe needed. Pulled to mid-wicket & into Chamu Chibhabha's grateful hands.

167/4 39.0 End of Prosper Utseya's 10 overs: 0 maidens, 0 wickets, 35 runs. Not a bad day's work, but a wicket or two would have been even better...

185/5 41.4 Alok Kapali st Taylor b Masakadza 23
Caught out of his ground after missing a delivery outside off-stump. Umpire calls for replay, confirmed by the 3rd umpire.

188/6 42.3 Shahriar Nafees b Rainsford 78
Zimbabwe making some progress now. Nafees plays a straight one and misses by a mile - clean bowled. Next...

237/6 49.0 That's 10 overs for Ed Rainsford - 1 maiden, 1 wicket, 35 runs.

238/7 49.2 Mohammad Rafique b Mupariwa 39
Another clean-bowled, after Rafique attempts the sweep and missed.

246/7 50.0 ..and that's that. Not a bad performance from Zim with the ball, they now have to chase down a target of 247 - that's 4.94 an over. Most people would think that's gettable, but there's always the spectre of a batting collapse hovering over this Zimbabwe side...

Zimbabwe Innings
7/1 2.5 overs CJ Chibhabha c Javed Omar b Mashrafe Mortaza 1
Driven straight to mid-off, and the batting-collapse alarm bells are already ringing. Piet Rinke is next in...

36/1 10.0 overs A slow start from Zimbabwe, but there are have been some signs of life in the last over or two. Current required run-rate is 5.27/over - Zim will need to be careful not to let it creep much higher...

38/2 10.5 overs HP Rinke c Khaled Mashud b Mashrafe Mortaza 10
Rinke's poor form against Full Member sides continues - 10 runs is actually one of his better knocks. Leading edge straight to the keeper. It's a pitty his form in A matches and against Associates, where 100's are almost the norm, doesn't follow him to full ODIs. In comes Hamilton Masakadza...

50/3 14.5 overs H Masakadza c Mohammad Ashraful b Shahadat Hossain 7
Edged to Ashraful, simple catch. Disappointing innings from Masakadza, and it looks like Zim are suffering from their usual problem of being too cautious here.

50/4 14.6 overs V Sibanda b Shahadat Hossain 22
Hossain will be on for a hat-trick at the start of his next over. Straight yorker, Sibanda misses and that's the end of his innings.

63/4 20.0 overs Current run rate 3.15, required 6.13 - not good. Taylor looks to be trying to make a go of it, but Matsikenyeri at the other end is holding things up.

100/4 25.1 overs 50-partnership between Taylor and Matsikenyeri, and both players now seem to be getting a move on. Required rate is down to 5.91, and things are looking up a bit...

101/5 25.3 overs BRM Taylor b Mohammad Rafique 25
Famous last words, as Taylor misses an attempted sweep and is bowled. In comes Elton Chigumbura...

123/5 30.0 overs Chigumbura and Matsikenyeri are on a bit of a run & trying to keep the run chase going - still behind the pace (6.20 required at the moment), but no lack of effort as they're taking whatever singles are going.

152/5 35.0 overs 50 partnership for Chigumbura and Matsikenyeri - although they really need to push on now. Required rate now 6.33.

180/5 40.0 overs Required rate still climbing (6.70), but not quote in the area where the game looks lost. Both batsmen seem to understand there's some urgency now with only 10 overs to go, but the last thing Zim need now is to lose a wicket so there's a fine balancing act going on to make sure chances are taken without being too careless.

195/5 41.0 overs 15 from that over, all from Matsikenyeri, and the required rate's back to 5.77. More of this would be good...

201/5 42.2 overs 100 partnership from Matsikenyeri and Chigumbura - very good showing by this pair, possibly good enough to bring Zimbabwe home?

215/6 45.1 overs S Matsikenyeri c Mashrafe Mortaza b Shahadat Hossain 89
Not what Zimbabwe needed right now, as Mortaza takes an outstanding catch at long-off to remove the star of Zimbabwe's show. 32 runs required from 29 balls - still doable, but this is going to be a thriller of an ending. Prosper Utseya is the new man in - definitely into the tail now...

236/6 47.0 overs 15 off the oversees Zim ahead of the required rate for the first time - 11 required from 18 balls makes the chances of a home win look good...

242/7 48.2 overs P Utseya b Mashrafe Mortaza 8
Last-minute wobbles, as Utseya goes for the big one & misses. What chances a last-minute choke? 5 to win from 10 balls...

242/8 48.3 overs RS Higgins lbw b Mashrafe Mortaza 0
Please no. LBW. 5 to win from 9 balls, Tawanda Mupriwa comes to the crease.

248/8 49/1 overs ...and that's that, thanks to a 4 from Chigumbura. Zim lead series 1-0, and I can breath happy again.