Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 2nd T20I Full Commentary

Welcome back. The players of Bangladesh have taken their spots on the field. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani are the two openers for Zimbabwe.  And like the hosts Bangladesh are also starting with spin. Mahedi Hasan will bowl the first over. Let's go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

A tough chase ahead - So 187 is the magic number for Zimbabwe to chase, but they know that would have been much lower. Their focus now shifts to nailing the Powerplay with the bat and building smartly from there. Bangladesh will look to strike early and take the game away from the hosts to find the leveler. Back in a bit with the chase.

Topsy turvy through and through - Catches win matches, they say. Zimbabwe forgot to catch anything today. Who dominated? Bangladesh, for almost the entire innings. The numbers make that obvious. A 120-run stand to open, 54 without loss inside the Powerplay, 84 and a late surge that carried them to 186/5 through Mohammad Saifuddin whirlwind cameo. Zimbabwe did find a way back, ripping out 5 wickets for 21 runs between overs 15 and 17, but just as that recovery looked complete, Mohammad Saifuddin and Yasir Ali fired back with a counterattack of their own. Bangladesh closed out with a total to be proud of, while Zimbabwe are left counting the cost of six to seven catches put down.

Let's hear it from Tanzid Hasan - Tanzid starts off saying that the wicket looked really good to bat on. Their plan was to build a strong partnership and capitalize on it, but he reckons that the way Yasir Ali and Mohammad Saifuddin batted in the death overs was very important for his team. On their approach while batting, he says that they did not try to hit the ball too hard. He even communicated with his partner to focus on building a long partnership. About the crucial finish, he says that the last two overs were very important for them to set a good total on the board and he feels like they can do the job in the next innings.

A breathless finish - Zimbabwe had clawed their way back so well through that middle phase, but that final over completely flipped the momentum, with 28 runs coming off it in a flash. It's fair to call this a forgettable outing from Evans with the ball. And it was an even more forgettable day for the hosts in the field, with six catches put down in all. Bangladesh, unsurprisingly, will be the happier side walking back into the sheds.

Sikandar Raza tries to slow things down and walks to have a chat with his bowler.

Right after the over was completed, the keeper gestured to hurry up to prevent a slow-over rate penalty. Brad Evans will bowl the final over.

21 runs from the last 2 overs for Bangladesh. Can they finish on a high? Blessing Muzarabani (3-0-27-0) will bowl the penultimate over.

The slide continues for the tourists. This is a massive slip up from 120/0 to 141/5. Mohammad Saifuddin is in at number 7.

Onto the series decider - It's been a tour to forget for Bangladesh across formats, but this win should give the camp a real lift heading forward. For Zimbabwe, the belief will be that one bad day at the office is no reason to hit the panic button. But they have a lot to improve on, especially after a torrid day fielding-wise. With the scoreline locked at 1-1, the decider promises to be a fitting finale to what's been a cracking series so far. Bulawayo hosts the third and final T20I on Sunday, July 19, with the first ball set for 10.30 am GMT. Do join us well before that for all the buildup. Until then, cheers!

The victorious captain of Bangladesh - Towhid Hridoy, about his team's performance, says that both their department, bowling and batting, did really well to show their level, so he is very happy with his team's performance today. In the first innings, Hridoy says that they focused on creating a strong partnership and work on it. In the second innings, he says that the bowlers did well to attack the opposition batters from the first over, which is why they were able to chip in some wickets inside the Powerplay. About concerns of Nahid Rana's injury, he states that it is looking fine and we should expect him to play the final match of the series.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - MOHAMMAD SAIFUDDIN receives the award for an all-round show in the match. He played a superb cameo of 31 off 10 balls towards the backend of the first innings. And also picked up a wicket in his spell. On his immediate thoughts, begins by giving thanks to the Almighty, saying it's been a while since he last picked up a Player of the Match award in T20 cricket. He adds the win also brings Bangladesh level in the series, and he's clearly delighted with how things have gone. When asked what turned the match Bangladesh's way, he credits the openers first, saying they set the perfect tone at the top. He also praises the bowling unit, singling out Mahedi and Rishad for how well they bowled through the innings. On preparation coming into the game, he says there were plenty of discussions around adjusting to the conditions, pointing out the contrast between the winter chill here and the heat back home. He admits the adjustment wasn't easy early in the tour, but notes the batters finally got it right today.

The captain of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza reflects on the defeat. He admits he read the pitch wrongly at the start. He says the ball clearly turned in the first few overs, with even the seamers extracting some bounce off a slow surface, and adds they expected the pitch to ease out for batting before it started gripping more. When asked to sum up the overall performance, he doesn't hold back. He calls himself genuinely embarrassed as captain, and says the fielding had a direct ripple effect on the batting that followed. He credits the bowlers, though, saying that barring the final over, they did an excellent job, restricting Bangladesh to around 158-159 after 19 overs despite the catches going down, which he calls a tremendous effort in itself. He adds that the poor fielding eventually bled into the batting, and that's what shaped the result. On Bangladesh's opening stand, Raza says Zimbabwe never felt the game had slipped away, fielding lapses aside. He notes it wasn't a surface where batters could simply walk in and start swinging, and details that the new batters needed time to settle, and that's exactly why Bangladesh lost wickets in clusters. It was the final over, he says, that ultimately took the game beyond them. Speaking on that costly last over, he calls it a consequence of the fielding through the innings rather than a one-off. He highlights that there were a couple of good deliveries mixed with a couple of poor ones, and points out that Zimbabwe even shelled a catch off the final ball, which he says sums up how poor the fielding was on the day. He admits that conceding close to 30 runs in that over made the chase far tougher but adds that even a target of around 165 wouldn't have changed his view, given how his side fielded. Ends by bluntly stating that that Zimbabwe simply didn't deserve to win this one.

... Time for the post-match Presentation ...

The difference maker - There's no taking away from how well Bangladesh hunted as a pack, executing their plans to near perfection. The two frontline spinners, Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain, shared seven wickets between them, with the pacers chipping in when needed. But as the old saying goes, catches win matches. Zimbabwe shelled six or seven chances across the game, while Bangladesh didn't let a single one slip through their hands. In the end, that was the difference that mattered most.

Lost the steam - Bangladesh carried every bit of that momentum into their defence, and their new-ball attack made it count in style. Zimbabwe were badly dented inside the powerplay, reduced to 21 for 3, their top three gone with the wind. It took them a staggering 14.4 overs to log their first breakthrough with the ball, and with the bat, the middle order offered precious little support. The likes of Raza and Ryan Burl offered brief resistance along the way, and Brad Evans provided one last flicker with a quick-fire surge to keep hope alive. But it was too little too late by then, and his dismissal simply pulled the curtains down on the chase.

Drops, chaos, recovery - Zimbabwe's day in the field was a mess from ball one, catches going down all over the park as Bangladesh raced to a 120-run opening stand. Saif Hassan alone survived five drops, Tanzid one, and both punished the reprieves with half-centuries. Then the game flipped on its head. Sikandar Raza finally struck by bowling Saif, and the floodgates opened. Richard Ngarava grabbed two in an over to further press on, and Brad Evans followed up with two more to have Bangladesh in tatters. In a matter of minutes, Bangladesh went from a cushy 120 without loss to a shaky 141 for 5. Just as Zimbabwe sensed a way back in, Yasir Ali's power hitting and a blistering final over from Saifuddin, four sixes included, hauled Bangladesh to 186.

Bangladesh level it up clinically - A superb all-round bowling effort from Bangladesh there. And on the whole, this looked like a side that's stepped up its game considerably, both bat and ball firing together. Even with Nahid Rana forced off the field, unable to finish his spell because of what looked like a lower back issue, the tourists still had more than enough fire left in them to get the better of the hosts. Now cast your mind back to that final over of the first innings, the one that leaked 28 runs. Zimbabwe fall short by 34 in the end, and it's hard not to see those two numbers staring right back at each other.

Well then, into the final over. Rishad Hossain (3-0-23-3) will wrap it up.

Evans falls after playing a decent cameo. Blessing Muzarabani is the last batter in with the final rites being read.

Zimbabwe need 40 runs from 12 balls. Mohammad Saifuddin (3-0-35-0) will bowl the penultimate.

Right, 3 overs left. Zimbabwe need 55 runs from those. Nahid Rana is still off the field, one assumes. Taskin Ahmed will bowl out. 3-0-31-0 so far.