Bangladesh lost both their practice Twenty20s

Bangladesh lost both their practice Twenty20s to a Zimbabwe Select XI yesterday at the Country Club ground in Harare. It wasn't the most pleasant ways to begin another tour of the African nation though the unofficial standing of the tour means that it will be part of the Tigers' learning curve in the format.

After a middle-order collapse in the first game, the visitors made 126-7 which was chased down by the Africans in 19.3 overs. After the three-wicket loss in the first game, Bangladesh found the second snatched away by Hamilton Masakadza's 58-ball century. The visitors, making 156-7 in 20 overs chasing 176 to win, lost by 19 runs as they head into the tri-nation Twenty20 competition which begins tomorrow.

The Tigers had lost the tour opening three-dayer at the same venue last year too, but the team management led by new coach Richard Pybus would take heart from Abul Hasan's work with the new ball and also Jahurul Islam's enforcing role.

FIRST GAME
Choosing to bat first, Bangladesh made a fine start through openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, who has been recalled into the national setup after a six-month hiatus, moving to 50 runs in 6.1 overs. But the left-hander fell for 29 off 30 balls, to end a 64-run stand.

When Ashraful fell for 32 to make it 71 for two, a big score was still in the offing but the Tigers suffered a sudden collapse in the face of leg-spinner Graeme Cremer and part-timer Malcolm Waller. Losing Nasir Hossain (5), skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (3), another comeback man Junaed Siddiqui (12), newcomer Ziaur Rahman (0) and Abdur Razzak (2), the Tigers were reduced to 91 for seven in the 16th over.

Mahmudullah Riyad, the vice-captain, and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza added 35 for the eighth wicket in the last four overs to add a bit of meat to the 20-over total.

Cremer took 4-14 from four overs while Waller finished with three for 14.

The hosts started their chase poorly, losing openers Vusi Sibanda (14) and Hamilton Masakadza (12) by the end of the Powerplay before Riyad removed Ervine (caught & bowled for six) and skipper Brendan Taylor (nine) to reduce the Zimbabwe Select XI to 56 for five in the eleventh over. Regis Chakabva was snared by Elias Sunny, but the following partnership, 58 runs for the seventh wicket between Elton Chigumbura and Cremer, was enough for the hosts to win the first game of the tour.

Hasan, Sunny and Riyad took two wickets each. (See more hot bd model pictures click me)

SECOND GAME
Masakadza began like he did in the first game, depending on boundaries, but this time he continued the battering as he moved to 50 off 35 balls with four boundaries and two sixes. Sibanda played a supporter's role, stroking 26 off 20 balls before Ziaur Rahman ran him out. But the other opener continued in his merry way, scoring the next 50 off just 23 balls hammering six fours and five sixes in all.

Nazmul Hossain took two expensive wickets from his four overs while Hasan and Abdur Razzak picked up one each.

The chase began on a poor note, losing the top three -- Anamul Haque, Ashraful and Junaed -- by the sixth over before Nasir too fell cheaply.

Skipper Mushfiqur then took Jahurul under his wing to add 91 runs for the fifth wicket till the start of the 18th over when the wicketkeeper-batsman fell to Shingi Masakza for 49 runs from 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

Jahurul kept the pursuit going with an unbeaten 49 off 38 balls (two fours, two sixes), but it was way too many to score in the last few overs with Ziaur (another duck) and Forhad Reza (one) making no contributions with the bat.