Tamim Crashed Coventry's Party

angladesh 313 for 6 (Tamim 154, Price 3-60) beat Zimbabwe 312 for 8 (Coventry 194*) by four wickets.

Charles Coventry made the Joint highest individual in an ODI but his effort was outweighed by a sparkling, cool-headed century from Tamim Iqbal, who broke the record for the most runs in an innings by a Bangladesh batsman. Coventry's blockbuster innings pushed Zimbabwe beyond 300, far more than Bangladesh have chased before, but the visitors were rarely troubled as they hunted down the target to take their third consecutive series.

Two things which stood out in Tamim's innings were the calmness he displayed, even when the required-rate started to soar, and the clean straight hitting - each of his six sixes were in the arc between long-on and long-off.

Bangladesh needed a solid opening stand after Coventry inspired Zimbabwe to 312, and Junaid Siddique and Tamim provided them that. Both openers were particularly harsh on Elton Chigumbura, who pitched the ball too short right through his opening spell. Junaid was the aggressor, hammering his way to a 27-ball 38 before, as has so often been the case, he threw away the start with a loose shot.

Junaid's dismissal, and the introduction of Zimbabwe's spinners, sucked the momentum out of the chase. Mohammad Ashraful took his time to settle, and Tamim cut out the big hits for a while, which made the asking-rate make a steady slide upwards.

Tamim was generally content to knock the ball around, but had short bursts when he hit out to keep Bangladesh in touch. One such was in the 22nd over; Malcolm Waller was blasted over long-on and long-off off consecutive deliveries, followed by a powerful cut for four. He also come down the track and cracked Price over long-on to push Bangladesh's run-rate up to six. There was a similar volley of brutal hitting in the 36th over, Hamilton Mazakadza being taken for a couple of big sixes.

Raqibul Hasan was also a calming influence, nudging the ball around for comfortable singles to keep the strike rotating. He added 119 with Tamim at nearly a run-a-ball before falling in the 37th over. Soon after, Chigumbura dropped a dolly at long-on, Tamim getting a reprieve on 118. Two new batsman and Zimbabwe could have applied more pressure. However, Bangladesh's best batsman, Shakib Al Hasan, made a 12-ball 19 and Tamim also opened out to slam the door shut on Zimbabwe. By the time Tamim was dismissed the target was only 34 away, which Bangladesh knocked off with 13 deliveries to spare.

It was the flattest of tracks, and Zimbabwe could have piled on even more than 312 had Coventry got a little more support. It was a superbly paced innings from him; Coventry provided the impetus after the early dismissal of Mark Vermeulen, then tempered his aggression when wickets tumbled around him in the middle overs, before finishing off with an awesome display of power hitting. What made it even more astonishing was that the next highest score in the innings was 37, 157 less than Coventry. It was also his first ODI century, and he had never before crossed 106 in any form of senior cricket.

He stomped on the gas soon after reaching his hundred in the 38th over, particularly targeting the swathe from long-on to midwicket, where he slammed six of his seven sixes. Still, at the end of the 42nd over he was on 129, and the world record didn't seem in his sights. By the end of the 47th he was on 180, and all the interest was around whether he would make an ODI double-century, a feat not achieved in 2872 previous one-dayers.

He only managed three singles in the 48th, but a massive six over long-on took him 191 with the final over still to come. A drive to cover on the first ball took him off strike, and he wasn't back facing the bowling till the final delivery; Tawanda Mupariwa was dismissed off the second and Prosper Utseya faced the next three. Two were needed to equal Saeed Anwar's 12-year-old mark, and a tired punch straight past the bowler gave Coventry a share of the record. His final 91 had come off 43 deliveries.

Bangladesh would have been facing a far smaller target had Syed Rasel held on to a simple catch at deep square leg when Coventry was only 13. Coventry was then dropped on 137 in the 44th over, with Mahmudullah the culprit at square leg. Coventry celebrated by plundering 16 each off the next two overs, the crowds behind midwicket kept busy by the balls hammered by Coventry.

In the end, his effort didn't prove to be enough, as Tamim, a placid pitch and shoddy Zimbabwean bowling and fielding combined to ruin Coventry's day. A month ago, the most Bangladesh had chased successfully was 250, a mark they have improved on twice since, a sign of the progress they have made.

Zimbabwe Register Their First Win Of The Series

Zimbabwe 323 for 7 (Masakadza 102, Taylor 94, Chigumbura 61*) beat Bangladesh 254 (Raqibul 78, Mahbubul 59, Mupariwa 3-32, Price 3-34) by 69 runs.

Zimbabwe's batting has improved with each outing this series, and today they kept their hopes alive with a victory that brought Bangladesh's winning run to a screeching halt. On a flat batting track the hosts briefly threatened to combust in another jittery display from the top order, but Hamilton Masakadza lit up the innings with a maiden ODI century, supported by a calm Brendan Taylor and a gung-ho Elton Chigumbura. Zimbabwe were in control when Chigumbura joined Taylor in the 39th over, and what proceeded to unfold turned a solid batting act into an exhibition of butchery.

The pair added 90 from 50 balls, Chigumbura racing to his half-century from just 26 balls, and 60 from the batting Powerplay lifted the total to 323, Zimbabwe's best at the venue and against Bangladesh. In reply, the visitors came up with a batting effort as edgy as Tuesday's had been powerful, with only Raqibul Hasan and Mahbubul Alam showing any fight.

Early signs indicated this game could be one for the bowlers when Zimbabwe slipped to 17 for 2 and then 60 for 3, but Masakadza and Taylor stood up to be counted. Zimbabwe's top order will do well to take a few lessons from Masakadza, who assessed the situation smartly, bided his time against the bit of swing Mahbubul got and consolidated in the middle overs. He acted as a glue to guarantee Zimbabwe's innings didn't fall apart.

Quick to capitalise on even marginal errors in length, Masakadza stroked delicate drives between cover and backward point off either foot. With Taylor offering cool support the pair counter-attacked in an efficient manner, knocking the ball into the gaps and not trying to play the spinners too safely - a factor that had stifled Zimbabwe in the series opener. Boundaries didn't flow - at one stage Zimbabwe went 11 overs without finding the ropes - but the run rate rarely dropped. The pair regularly spoke mid-pitch, no doubt stressing in the fact that all that was required was levelheaded batting, and that a wicket would put too much pressure on those to follow.

After a long absence playing cricket in England, Taylor came back strongly with a fluent half-century. He complimented his senior partner with an innings that relied solidly on on-side play. He judged singles superbly and his half-century came up from 62 balls without a boundary.

When Mahbubul came back to bowl the 35th over, Masakadza dumped him over midwicket for six to go past his previous best of 87. Two balls after bringing up three figures, Masakadza was bowled for 102, but the final chapter of the innings was adrenalin-fueled. Taylor picked his first four in the 40th over, a deft late cut, and Chigumbura was quickly into his stride, slamming a six over long-on and slashing through point.

An amazing one-handed six over extra cover by Taylor followed as Shakib returned, prompting Zimbabwe to take the batting Powerplay after 44 overs. Hitting cleanly through the line with meaty power and excellent timing, Chigumbura had Bangladesh scurrying for cover as the tone of the game changed dramatically, despite Taylor's run out on 94. Whether it was pace or spin he backed his game, making room to hit through the line and depositing the ball over long-off and long-on. In the previous game, Chigumbura came down at No. 9 - today a promotion proved an excellent move.

Battered in the field, Bangladesh needed a commanding start but the top order's approach snuffed those hopes. Tamim Iqbal poked the first ball loosely to first slip, Naeem Islam lost his leg stump to a wild slog against Chigumbura and Mohammad Ashraful, for the umpteenth time, skied to third man. The pressure mounted on the in-form Shakib but it proved too much. Immediately after swinging Chigumbura for six, Shakib tried the aerial route only to top edge to point, leaving Raqibul and Mushfiqur Rahim to salvage an increasingly hopeless situation.

With 324 to win, Bangladesh had to take some chances and Raqibul enjoyed a slice of luck on 9 when Prosper Utseya dropped a tough catch at cover-point. Mushfiqur targeted Masakadza's gentle medium pace, going over the top for six and four in successive overs. It was an encouraging period of smart batting that briefly offered Bangladesh a glimmer of hope, as the pair added 68 at nearly a run a ball. Ray Price varied his pace to check the runs and the frustration resulted in Mushfiqur holing out to long-on, after which he took out Mahmudullah. Raqibul flayed the bat after crossing his sixth ODI fifty and Mahbubul picked up three successive sixes in a maiden half-century, but they were only delaying the inevitable.

Shakib scripts convincing win

Bangladesh 320 for 8 ( Shakib 104, Tamim 79) beat Zimbabwe 271 (Williams 71, Coventry 61) by 49 runs.

Shakib Al Hasan starred with a delightfully aggressive ton as Bangladesh recorded their second straight win in the five-match series against Zimbabwe. Tamim Iqbal laid the platform with a patient half-century before Shakib took over to propel Bangladesh to their highest ODI score. Zimbabwe put up a fight, courtesy fine half-centuries from Charles Coventry and Sean Williams, but the target proved beyond their reach.

Bangladesh's strategy in the field was simple: keep a tight line and wait for the pressure of the steep target to start telling on the batsmen. And it worked. Coventry provided some momentum to the chase by counterattacking after the early wickets. There was a very skillful hit over extra-cover against Syed Rasel and a couple of big sixes against the offspinner Naeem Islam but he fell trying to keep pace with the asking rate.

Post Coventry's exit, Williams played a gem of a cameo, filled with improvisations, but he too became a victim of the run-rate. He notched up his highest ODI score and not only used his feet well against the spinners but also repeatedly put the reverse sweep to good effect to upset the rhythm of the bowlers. He ran hard between the wickets and kept picking singles and twos to keep the scorecard moving. Near the end of the chase, he took more risks, charging out to the seamers as well. He sashayed down the track and heaved Nazmul Hossain to the cowcorner and slapped him over covers but fell while failing to clear long-on. Elton Chigumbura biffed around in the end to raise the home side's hopes but could only succeed in reducing the margin of the loss.

Bangladesh's win was set up by their batsmen led by Shakib, who provided momentum with an imposing knock. Bangladesh were 108 for 1 in 25 overs but Shakib ensured that they finished strongly.

The feature of his innings was his skill in repeatedly picking the gaps: there were quite a few hits over extra cover, a few to the straight boundary and many swings to midwicket. He started carefully, dealing in singles and twos to reach 15, before breaking free with two pulled boundaries. The explosion started in the 38th over, bowled by the part-time spinner Williams, with Shakib, who was denied the services of a runner just prior to the over, swinging twice over midwicket boundary. He went on to crash Ray Price to the straight boundary before lifting Prosper Utseya over long-off and twice over extra-cover as he made full use of the batting Powerplay.

He was aided by some poor fielding and was dropped twice in the inner circle: when he was on 59, Stuart Matsikenyeri spilled a sitter at midwicket off an attempted reverse-sweep against Utseya and when he was on 71, Price dropped another off a top-edged paddle-sweep.

Shakib went on the rampage after the twin drops. He looted 19 runs, with the help of three boundaries that included a stunning six over long-off, off the 44th over bowled by Chamu Chibhaba. He brought up the hundred in 63 balls and celebrated it with a cheeky scoop shot off Ed Rainsford before he was run out going for the third run after Mushfiqur Rahim had slashed to deep point. Rahim sought to make amends for his mistake with some big hitting in the end to push Bangladesh well past 300.

The platform was laid earlier in the day by Tamim, who forged a more staid partnership with Junaid Siddique at the top of the order. Only four fours came in the first fifteen overs and only one boundary was hit in the air. It not only reflected the intent of the batsmen but also the disciplined lines and length of the new-ball bowlers Elton Chigumbura and Rainsford. If there was to be any criticism, it has to be said that they perhaps strayed to the middle and leg line a touch too often against Tamim, which shows up in his wagon wheel: Tamim picked 48 runs on the on side.

For their part, the batsmen were absolutely focused on playing themselves in before going for their shots. Things were looking good when Siddique was run out. He pushed Utseya, who brought himself on in the 11th over, to the left of short midwicket, was caught in a yes-no situation with Tamim and couldn't get back to his crease in time. Tamim, himself, was run out soon in a comical fashion. He had missed to connect a leg-side delivery but was stranded in the middle due to a faulty call from Shakib and was easily run out by the keeper. However, it didn't prove to be a major set back as Shakib set the stadium ablaze with his power-hitting.