DHAKA: Spinner Abdur Razzak enjoyed a career-best haul and captain Shakib Al Hasan hit an unbeaten century as Bangladesh crushed Zimbabwe by seven wickets to level the five-match one-day series 1-1 Thursday.
In front of a packed Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, hosts Bangladesh buried their opening match blues, as left-arm spinner Razzak returned with five for 29 to restrict Zimbabwe to 219 in 47.2 overs.
In reply, Shakib hit a blistering 105 off just 69 balls, calming nerves on a placid pitch after they lost their top three wickets.
He and number four Raqibul Hasan put on a match-winning unbeaten partnership of 165 off 144 balls to guide the hosts to an emphatic victory with more than 20 overs to spare.
“We did really well today. Our spin strategy worked and Razzak did bowl well. I also got some runs when needed,” Shakib said.
The 22-year-old all-rounder and captain, who also picked a wicket, said his team was worried when Zimbabwe added 60 runs in the first 10 overs.
“But our spinners came back strongly and our bowling changes worked,” he said.
Razzak was delighted to pick his career best figure after being recalled into the series. He missed the away series in Zimbabwe in August due to a side strain.
“I bowled on the stumps and it worked. I am happy with my career best figure,” the 27-year-old spinner said.
The visitors were going strong at 96 for two when Razzak sent back two key batsmen, Brendon Taylor and Charles Coventry, and then came back into the fray to remove three more including top scorer Malcolm Waller, who made 40.
Razzak’s man-of-the-match figures came off 9.2 overs and it upped the mark he created in December 2006, against the same side.
Shakib, the world’s top one-day all-rounder and the Wisden’s International Player of the Year, was in aggressive mood, hammering Zimbabwe spinners Graeme Cremer and Raymond Price out of the attack.
The two gave away 16 runs apiece in the 23rd and 24th overs.
His fourth century featured 14 fours and three sixes.
He combined well with the patient Raqibul Hasan, who made 39 but held the Bangladesh innings together after the two openers and one-down Mohammad Ashraful got out playing extravagant shots.
For Zimbabwe, Tuesday’s man-of-the-match Elton Chigumbura took two wickets for 47.
“We did not have enough runs on board on this batting wicket so it was difficult to contain the Bangladeshi batsmen,” stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza said.
The two sides will play their third one-day match at the same venue on Saturday.
