Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 3rd ODI Full Commentary

We are back for the chase. The umpires are back out in the middle and so are the players of Zimbabwe. It will be the duo of Soumya Sarkar and Tanzid Hasan to open the innings for Bangladesh. Brad Evans will get proceedings underway with the new ball. Let's go...

... The Run Chase ...

Bangladesh face a measured chase - Set a target of 200, Bangladesh will need a composed and sensible batting effort to finish the ODI series on a positive note. Can they chase it down and salvage some pride, or will Zimbabwe draw confidence from their late batting flourish and defend this modest total to complete a series whitewash? We'll find out shortly. Join us in a bit for the second essay.

A quick word - Wessly Madhevere says that the pitch and the season they are in all contribute to a wicket that is difficult to start on, and there's no room to take anything for granted. On his knock, he says that his game plan is to keep rotating the strike, and he is someone who looks to absorb the pressure and reverse it onto the bowlers. On the total on the board, he says that defending the total is quite possible given how the wicket has played.

Bangladesh impress with the ball - Bangladesh produced another disciplined bowling performance, but the game slipped away after the halfway stage. Shoriful Islam starred with four wickets, leading the attack brilliantly, while Taskin Ahmed, Tanvir Islam, and Mohammad Saifuddin chipped in with crucial breakthroughs to complete an impressive all-round effort. Although the visitors would have preferred to restrict Zimbabwe to an even lower total, they can take plenty of positives from a strong display with the ball.

Lower order lifts hosts to 199 - Zimbabwe's lower order produced a spirited fightback to propel the hosts to a competitive 199 after a shaky start. Opting to bat first, Zimbabwe endured a difficult opening, struggling for momentum and losing three key wickets inside the first 15 overs. Innocent Kaia and Wessly Madhevere briefly steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership before Kaia fell for a hard-fought 25. The middle order failed to build on that foundation, with Sikandar Raza and Clive Madande departing cheaply. Madhevere stood tall amid the collapse, compiling a composed 75 to hold the innings together and emerge as Zimbabwe's standout batter. He then found valuable support from the lower order, as Brad Evans struck a brisk half-century and the tail chipped in with crucial runs to lift Zimbabwe to the brink of the 200-run mark.

Tanaka Chivanga is the last man in for Zimbabwe.

Onto the shortest format - It's all smiles as Richard Ngarava goes on to pick up the series win trophy and joins his teammates in celebration. Righto, with hosts Zimbabwe sealing the ODI series as well after getting the win in the One-off Test, it is now time to move on to the final leg of this tour. The caravan now moves south to Bulawayo for the three-match T20I series between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, beginning on Wednesday, July 15. The first T20I will start at 10.30 am GMT, but as usual, you can tune in to our build-up a lot sooner. Until then, take care and goodbye!

The skipper of Zimbabwe - Richard Ngarava starts by saying that it is important to start on a high note and is happy with how the series has gone thus far. He adds that they have the experienced players, but when the youngsters do well, it is a great feeling. On achieving their goals, he says that they didn't quite get close to that blueprint and still managed to win, which is also good. Mentions that in the matches they won, they managed to cover 2 departments well and they haven't quite managed to cover all 3 departments well in a single match, but hopes that it will happen soon. He ends by talking a bit about Brad Evans's batting and jokes a bit that the doctors are always giving him a shoulder rub, so that he is ready to swing his arms.

The captain of Bangladesh - Mehidy Hasan Miraz praises his side for putting in a strong performance from the outset, crediting Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam for leading the way with the ball. He says the victory would boost the team's confidence and provide valuable momentum going forward. Reflecting on the conditions, Miraz describes the pitch as a tricky one that offered plenty of assistance to the bowlers. He also highlights the fast bowlers for taking responsibility, saying they consistently set the tone by picking up crucial wickets. Miraz also lauds the opening partnership, singling out Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar for their excellent stand at the top of the order. He concluded by saying the team had learned a great deal from the series and expressed hope that they would carry those lessons into future matches.

Player of the Series - Brad Evans is given the award for his all-round performance of 111 runs, 5 wickets, and 3 catches throughout the series. Evans says that this loss is a tough one to swallow, as they wanted to win 3-0, and a bit disappointing for the crowd as well. He adds that he's worked hard with the coaching staff, and he is really happy to reap the rewards as well. Evans further adds that he wasn't confident with the bat, but before the 2nd ODI, he had a chat with the coach, and that helped. Ends by saying that they had a successful T20 World Cup and they are looking forward to the upcoming T20I series.

Player of the Match - Tanzid Hasan is given the accolade for his fine knock of 94. Tanzid says that he is happy with the team's effort. Adds that the wicket was good for batting. Tells that, in the previous game, it had a bit more bounce, but today it played much more evenly. Mentions that Zimbabwe bowled really well, so building a big partnership was crucial for them. His plan was to play each ball on its merit. Adds that this win gives them confidence heading into the T20I series, and hopefully they can carry that momentum forward with even better performances.

The presentation ceremony...

Testing their bench strength - After sealing the ODI series with a game to go, Zimbabwe opted to rest both their frontline seamers. However, their struggles with the bat were once again on display as they were reduced to 27/3. Wessly Madhevere led the fightback with a solid 75, and Brad Evans played another fine knock to take Zimbabwe to a total of 199. Another low total to defend, but this time, the bowlers didn't start well. There were a few dropped catches which didn't help either, and when the wickets did come, the match was all but over by then.

Backing up the bowlers - In all three ODI matches on this tour, Bangladesh have opted to bowl first, and their bowlers have set up the game nicely. Early wickets from the pacers gave them the upper hand, and after a bit of resilience from the hosts, they did manage to bowl them out for 199. With the bat, Bangladesh finally managed to step up, and the openers put in their first 100-plus run stand after 9 ODIs. Tanzid Hasan was the aggressor from the start, but Soumya Sarkar played a few eye-catching shots after getting set. Sarkar did fall on 69, but there was a 100 for the taking for Hasan. With 3 needed to win and Hasan on 94, he went for the big hit and got out and Bangladesh lost another wicket. However, the damage was done and Bangladesh managed to win with 14 overs to spare.

Bangladesh get on the board - Three overs too late in the end, but Bangladesh finally manage to put in a strong performance with the bat, and they avoid the whitewash. Tanzid Hasan leads them to a rollicking win, but Zimbabwe do seal the ODI series 2-1.

Nurul Hasan is the new batter in.

Towhid Hridoy comes in with just 3 more needed for the win.