Tight win boosts Tigers' confidence to whitewash Zimbabwe again
For the last three times in bilateral series, Bangladesh whitewashed Zimbabwe and won 15 straight matches against them so far.
A thrilling victory in the second match, in which they survived a Donald Tiripano scare to record a four-run victory over Zimbabwe, gave Bangladesh a confidence to inflict whitewash on the visitors for the fourth straight time regardless of any situation.
In the second game on Tuesday, Bangladesh posted a hefty 322-8, their highest total against the Southern African nation, thanks to a record-breaking 158 of Tamim Iqbal but the game went down the wire, vastly due to a 28 ball-52 not out of Tiripano.
The Zimbabwe No. 9 batsman raised a prospect of an unlikely victory with his sheer power-hitting ability as the Bangladesh bowlers found it tough to grip the ball due to excessive dew at night. However, the host found a formula to stop a Zimbabwe juggernaut to win the game finally, a thing which gave the captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza a confidence to whitewash Zimbabwe once again, no matter how tough situation arises in the third and final game.
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For the last three times in bilateral series, Bangladesh whitewashed Zimbabwe and won 15 straight matches against them so far.
When most of the Bangladeshi players were confident that they could beat Zimbabwe with ease, only Mashrafe warned his side not to take the visitors such lightly, saying that they have ability to beat Bangladesh because in the recent past they came close to grab a victory in several matches.
Mashrafe's statement proved preciously right in the second game as Zimbabwe gave the indication that they could beat Bangladesh.
"I think a win is a win, but it was a close win. We held our nerves well in the win. Winning is something we'll take to the next match," Mashrafe said.
Bangladesh rested the likes of Mustafizur Rahman and Saifuddin for the second ODI, considering their workload. But the bowlers -Al-Amin Hossain and Shafiul Islam who replaced them bowled too badly.
Mashrafe defended them, saying that the excessive dew made their task tougher. At the same time, he praised the team's determination to win the game, overcoming any tough situation. "After this match, everybody will ask what about the bowling, but this was a very good wicket, and there was also some dew. It was difficult for the bowlers. When you win a tight game, it gives you a lot of confidence going forward."
The third and final match is on Friday. Though the match turns to be to dead-rubber for the hosts, they would eye a whitewash and seal their 16th straight win over Zimbabwe.
