Zia, Nasir shine as Tigers roar

Bangladesh batsman Nasir Hossain plays the ball square on the off-side during his 68 in the first ODI against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday. Photo: AFP

Stellar performances from Ziaur Rahman with the ball and Nasir Hossain with the bat led Bangladesh to a clinical 121-run victory in the first ODI against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club yesterday. Having missed out on a five-wicket haul on Test debut in the second Test in Harare by one wicket, Zia bagged his first international five-for as he ran through Zimbabwe's middle and lower order to skittle the home team out for just 148.
After Nasir Hossain's 68 and Mahmudullah Riyad's late hits took Bangladesh to 269 for eight it was first Shafiul Islam who put the Tigers on the front foot with two early wickets. The right-arm paceman bowled opener Regis Chakabva and Sikandar Raza in successive overs to have Zimbabwe in trouble at 13 for two in 3.1 overs. But then the firm grip of Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakdza threatened to wrest the initiative from the tourists with a 65-run partnership in only 11.4 overs. Taylor was the more aggressive partner, scoring 33 off 37 balls with three fours, including one off the first ball he faced.
Robiul Islam, making his ODI debut after his Test series heroics, bowled to the line he knows best and was hard to get away, meaning Shafiul bore the brunt of Taylor and Masakadza's counterattack. The introduction of spinners did not initially slow things down, with Masakadza stepping out in Shakib Al Hasan's first over and hitting the all-rounder for a six.
Zia replaced Shakib after one over and nearly got Taylor second ball but the edge eluded the diving Mushfiqur Rahim on its way to the boundary. In the next over however Abdur Razzak got rid of the dangerous Taylor with an arm ball that knocked off stump out of the ground. Maskadza meanwhile had settled down into his comfort zone, milking the spinners for singles. But Sean Williams was soon run out by as Masakadza set off for a non-existent single.
Then it was all Zia -- the seam bowling all-rounder took the next five wickets to fall. In his fourth over the 19th of the innings Zia's stump to stump line on a good batting wicket that offered minimal movement from a length paid off. He trapped Masakdza in front with one that came in as the batsman walked down the wicket and tried to play to the leg side. Two balls later Elton Chigumbura, who is never one to hang around, swiped across the line to have his furniture disturbed and hand Zia a double-wicket maiden.
Zimbabwe crumbled in the middle much like Bangladesh did, but unlike their opponents there was no recovery. After Prosper Utseya offered a low catch to Mominul Haque at point to leave Zimbabwe at 93 for seven, Malcolm Waller and Shingi Masakadza put on an adventurous 55-run partnership with lots of cross-batted shots, especially from Masakdza, two of which sailed over the ropes. But it was not meant to last. Waller repeated his teammates' mistake of slogging across the line and was the fifth batsman to be bowled, before Tinashe Panyangara became Zia's fifth victim. It was a perfect end for Bangladesh when Robiul took his first ODI wicket by trapping Masakdza in front and sealed victory.
Earlier, a middle-order collapse threatened to waste the good start provided by openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful after the visitors were put in to bat. The pitch had a slight tinge of green, but the movement from the fast bowlers was minimal as Tamim and Ashraful took the score to 65 in the 14th over. Tamim then fell, tickling a Shingi Masakdza delivery down the leg side and ten runs later Ashraful holed out to deep square leg off the same bowler. Skipper Mushfiqur soon played away from his body to give a catch behind the wicket to his opposite number, and the collapse was completed when Shakib went for a run off an inside edge to point, stopped, then took off again in a moment of suicide; Waller's direct hit sent the star all-rounder packing. From 94 for four, Mominul and Nasir built a 76-run partnership in less than 15 overs. Mominul was below his fluent best in his 66-ball 38, and fell edging a Tendai Chatara delivery to the keeper.
Riyad, who was making a comeback of sorts after being dropped from the second Test, started confidently with Nasir. Nasir was the real star of the show however, playing yet another back-to-the-walls knock while keeping his strike rate high. He reached a run-a-ball fifty with a powerful cut between cover and point, his sixth boundary. In the 42nd over, he hit Utseya for a six and a four off successive balls. After he holed out to deep point for a 67-ball 68 in the 44th over, Riyad batted with the tail as Bangladesh scored 38 off the last five overs. He was the last Bangladesh wicket to fall, bowled in the last over for a 38-ball 36.