Razzaq demolishes Zimbabwe A

Bangladesh A 287 for 7 (Al Sahariar 62, Faisal 61*) beat Zimbabwe A 227 (Rinke 49, Gripper 49, Razzaq 7-17) by 60 runs
Scorecard

A devastating spell of bowling from Abdur Razzaq, a left-arm spinner from Khulna, took Bangladesh A to a comprehensive victory in their third one-dayer against Zimbabwe A at Dhaka. Razzaq took 7 for 17 in eight overs as Zimbabwe A collapsed, after an opening stand of 99, to 227. They fell short of Bangladesh A's 287 by 60 runs.

The run-chase had begun superbly, with Piet Rinke and Trevor Gripper hitting a flurry of boundaries off Tareq Aziz and Alamgir Kabir, as the score progressed to 99 in just 14.4 overs. But Razzaq's introduction into the attack changed everything, as he got both Rinke and Gripper out for 49 - both batsmen were decieved into giving return catches.

The Zimbabweans went steadily downhill from there, as Razzaq, mixing loopy flighted deliveries with quicker flat ones, tied the batsmen up in knots. Stuart Matsikenyeri smashed 48 off 50 balls in a rear-guard action, but he found no support from his fellow batsmen. Razzaq, who had taken 3 for 14 in the six overs of his first spell, returned to the attack to pick up four more wickets for just three runs. Matsikenyeri was one of his victims, brilliantly caught at gully by Jamaluddin Babu. That wicket, the sixth to fall, in the 44th over, with the score on 216, sealed the issue.

Earlier, Mohammad Al Sahariar had anchored the Bangladesh innings with a sedate 92-ball innings of 62, to set Bangladesh A on their way towards a big score. Faisal Hossain, one of the rising stars of Bangladesh cricket, hit a sparkling 61 not out, off 67 balls, to ensure that their early momentum was not lost. The Bangladeshis finished on 287 for 7, and although the target seemed eminently gettable when Rinke and Gripper were flaying the bowling, Razzaq bowled to a script all his own.

Bangladesh went up 2-1 in the five match series with this win. The last two games are due to be played at Khulna in April 5 and 6.