Zimbabwe thrash Bangladesh in 1st ODI: Key stats
Zimbabwe hammered Bangladesh by five wickets in the first ODI. The hosts fumbled at first but found able centurions in Sikandar Raza (135*) and Innocent Kaia (110) to complete the 304-run chase (307/5). With that, Zimbabwe have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Earlier, Bangladesh's top four comprising Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Anamul Haque, and Mushfiqur Rahim struck fifties each.
Bangladesh rallied their way to 119/1 in 25.4 overs. Litton took the scoring reins and added 52* runs for the second wicket. Anamul upped his game to contribute a quick-fire 96 alongside Mushfiqur Rahim for the third wicket. Mahmudullah scored a brisk 20* to get the visitors past 300. For Zimbabwe, Kaia and Raza played valiantly to steer them home.
Tamim meant business as he punched Richard Ngarava and Victor Nyauchi for boundaries early into the innings. He ran a double to clock his 54th fifty in ODI cricket. He then smacked a four off Sikandar Raza to attain 8,000 ODI runs. Raza eventually got the better of him, but the job was done. Tamim belted nine fours en route to his 88-ball 62.
Tamim is the first Bangladeshi batter to have breached the 8,000-run mark in ODIs. He attained the feat in his 227th inning, having made his debut against Zimbabwe in February 2007. As per ESPNcricinfo, Tamim was the first Bangladeshi to clock 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 runs in the format. He now has 8,005 runs at 37.06. He has tonked 877 fours and 100 sixes.
Litton laid the foundation for Bangladesh's 300-plus total. He ran a single off Wellington Masakdaza to slam his seventh ODI fifty. He then slammed the latter for three consecutive boundaries. Litton dished out a superb 89-ball 81, striking nine fours and a six. He was retired hurt in the 34th over, but the damage was done. He now has 1,835 runs at 35.28.
Anamul slammed a sublime 62-ball 73 thereby fending off his poor run of in limited-overs. He hit six fours and three sixes. He has raced to 355 runs at 35.50. Meanwhile, veteran Mushfiqur hammered a crisp 49-ball 52* on his international return. The right-hander battered five fours as he brought his 42nd fifty in ODI cricket. He has steered to 6,749 runs at 37.08.
The chase would've been out of equation for Zimbabwe if not for the centuries from Raza and Kaia. The duo lifted the hosts from 62/3 in 13.1 overs to 254/4, bringing the chase to run-a-ball. They added 192 runs for the fourth wicket. As per ESPNcricinfo, it is the third-highest partnership for Zimbabwe across any wicket in ODIs.
Kaia stamped his maiden ton in 50-overs cricket. He clobbered 11 fours and two sixes in his knock of 110 from 122 deliveries. The number three batter owns 228 runs across four ODIs, averaging a phenomenal 57.00. Meanwhile, Raza extended his red-hot form to register his fourth ton in this format. It was his third-fifty-plus score in a span of six ODIs.
