Bangladesh clinched a nail-biting four-wicket victory in the third T20I against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo to seal the series 2-1.
Bangladesh
After failing to make a mark in the one-off Test match and the ODI series, Bangladesh signed off on their tour of Zimbabwe with a close victory in the third T20I, sealing the series 2-1. The three-match T20I series stood at 1-1 after the visitors managed to script a comeback on the back of a loss in the first T20I.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim was the highest run-scorer in the T20I series with 140 runs across three matches, comprising two fifties. His 120-run opening stand with Saif Hassan in the second T20I played a crucial role in carrying Bangladesh to 186-5, while Mohammad Saifuddin hit 31 not out in 10 balls. In reply, Zimbabwe never got going as Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain ran through the batting order with three and four wickets respectively.
This was a crucial victory for Bangladesh after succumbing to a 32-run defeat in the first T20I. Nahid Rana’s four-wicket haul and Yasir Ali’s 38-ball 54 had been the only positives for Bangladesh in the first T20I. In a chase of 171, Bangladesh were limited by Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani’s four-wicket hauls.
The third T20I was a nail-biter. Zimbabwe scored a challenging 143-7 on the back of a 73 from Dion Myers. Once again, Tanzid anchored the chase with a 58-ball 66 not out to help the visitors over the line. Bangladesh got there with four wickets to spare, and just two balls remaining. The game also contained a controversial dead-ball call which denied Brad Evans a hat-trick.
Before the start of the three-match T20I series, Bangladesh stood eighth in the T20I team rankings, with 223 rating points. On the other hand, Zimbabwe stood 12th with 202 rating points under their belt. After the end of the series, both teams held their positions with a slight difference in their rating points.
Latest ICC men's T20I team rankings
| Position | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
| 1 | England | 38 | 10186 | 268 |
| 2 | India | 58 | 15532 | 268 |
| 3 | Australia | 38 | 9868 | 260 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 50 | 12348 | 247 |
| 5 | South Africa | 48 | 11717 | 244 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 57 | 13679 | 240 |
| 7 | West Indies | 56 | 13079 | 234 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 51 | 11354 | 223 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 44 | 9703 | 221 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 36 | 7935 | 200 |
| 11 | Ireland | 29 | 5942 | 205 |
| 12 | Zimbabwe | 49 | 9953 | 203 |
| 13 | USA | 20 | 3650 | 183 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 24 | 4311 | 180 |
| 15 | Nepal | 43 | 7699 | 179 |
| 16 | Scotland | 23 | 4116 | 179 |
| 17 | Namibia | 37 | 6616 | 179 |
| 18 | United Arab Emirates | 54 | 9408 | 174 |
| 19 | Oman | 43 | 6619 | 154 |
| 20 | Canada | 26 | 3864 | 149 |
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