DHAKA: Zimbabwe spinner Raymond Price took four wickets and hit the third-highest score in the match yesterday to guide his team to a two-wicket win over Bangladesh in a limited-overs international.
The left-arm spinner claimed a career-best 4-22 off 10 overs and Keith Dabengwa took 3-15 in 5.1 overs to bowl out Bangladesh for 124 in 48.1 overs at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
Price then scored 23 not out, including a boundary off Nazmul Hossain for the winning runs as Zimbabwe reached 127-8 with four balls to spare after being 92-8 at one stage.
Bangladesh’s Mashrafee bin Mortaza took 3-21 and Shakib Al Hasan 3-11, but Price and Tawanda Mupariwa (10 not out) combined for an unbeaten stand of 35 as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and opted to bat, but lost five top-order batsmen for just 69 runs.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah put on 34 for the sixth wicket to try and rebuild the innings before Price had Mahmudullah caught by Dabengwa for 14, who went on to bowl Rahim in the following over for 22.
Bangladesh’s Raqibul Hasan top-scored in the match with 28.
Zimbabwe’s innings started badly, Mortaza dismissing Hamilton Masakadza for 2 with the total on that score. The visitors then slumped to 44-6 but Malcolm Waller (24) and captain Prosper Utseya (21) added 28 to give Price a platform to star with the bat.
The second match will be played at the same venue tomorrow.
