It seemed to be a transformation of the player as the media-shy Chittagonian had been reluctant on previous two occasions when he had won man-of-the-match awards, against New Zealand in 2004 and Sri Lanka in February this year at home.

However, his unbeaten 69-ball 58 really stood out in the one-sided match and gave the 30,000-strong crowd something to cheer for in the inaugural match of the big bowl where the home side will play their last game of the five-match series today with an eye on a whitewash.

This was all about a mismatch at cricket's new home when the Bangladeshi bowlers kept the visitors under tight rein to fold the Zimbabwean innings for 146 in 47.2 overs.

Then it was time for the 21-year old Aftab to delight everyone with his trademark batting during his ninth half century in 46 appearances.

"Yes, for the first time I appeared at the dais to receive the man-of-the-match award and I think I have started to get out of the shell. It was a fantastic experience to bat in front of such a lively crowd on debut of the ground," the talented batsman said smilingly and added that it was not easy to bat on the slow pitch.

The right-hander sparked the cheering crowd hitting four big sixes, one off pacer Christopher Mpofu over mid-wicket in the very first delivery he faced in the innings and two against left-arm spinner Sean Williams over mid-on beside another over mid-wicket off Keith Dabengwa, and three boundaries.

The lack of competitiveness might have disappointed the local fans but Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar was understandably happy as his side stayed on course to whitewash the opponents and make their dream come true.

"A 5-0 victory was in our mind before the start of the series but we never discussed this in public due to our previous experience. Now there is no confusion about the difference between the two teams. We will have our celebrations after winning the last game tomorrow," said Bashar.

"It's a wonderful feeling to appear before the press as a winning captain because it is not very common in our cricket history. I think the series at least has given the impression that our team is shaping. What impressed me most in the series is the killer-instinct of our players," he added.

Bashar also said that it would be nice for him to celebrate his 50th one-day match as captain with a big win.

"Actually I was not aware of the fact. It would be really fantastic for me to secure a big win in my 50th match as a captain," said the most successful Bangladesh captain with 18 ODI wins.

After Bangladesh's four wins in a row, it seems that only miracle can save Zimbabwe from a whitewash.