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A tour full of positives for Tigers


Published : 25 Jul 2021 09:19 PM

The recently concluded full-fledged series of Bangladesh on Zimbabwean soil has been a successful one. The Tigers couldn’t have done it better than what they did in both Test and ODI and T20I series.

Throughout the series’ players had some instrumental feats in taking their team over the line. From Mahmudullah’s incredible unbeaten knock of 150 in the one-off Test to Shakib Al Hasan’s unbeaten 96-run knock to seal the series, there were lots of positives to take for the Tigers during their Zimbabwe tour. The success came with a compilation of both individual flashes of brilliance and team efforts. Batting, bowling and fielding – Tigers dominated the Zimbabweans in all three departments of the game.

One of the key positives which Bangladesh can take from this series is the return in form of ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. The 34-year-old all-rounder, who was going through a lean patch with the bat since his reintroduction into international cricket following a one-year suspension by the ICC, came into his own during the ODI series. He ended the ODI series with most number of wickets (8) and also guided the team to a series victory as his unbeaten 109-ball 96 propelled the team from a dangerous position to win the match in the second ODI. During the tour, Shakib also achieved the milestone of scalping the greatest number of wickets in ODI for Bangladesh.

Who can forget Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 150-run knock during the first innings of the first Test match, when the team was in a dire state? Mahmudullah’s gritty batting frustrated the Zimbabweans and along with Taskin Ahmed. The duo enjoyed a 191-run stand, which is now Bangladesh's best tally for the ninth wicket in Test cricket. This is also now the second-highest partnership for the ninth wicket in Test cricket, which ultimately led Bangladesh to victory against Zimbabwe.

Another significant feat was ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal’s 112-run knock to whitewash Zimbabwe in the third ODI. Tamim, who played the ODI series by 'managing his knee pain', brought up his hundred off just 87 deliveries -- the left-hander's quickest ton in ODIs. Tamim's 97-ball 112, included 8 boundaries and 3 maximums. It was all the more impressive as the southpaw paced his innings according to the demand of the challenging run-chase of 298. 

Liton’s ton in the first ODI, Taskin’s return to taking wickets consistently, Soumya Sarkar’s dominancy with the bat in T20’s and debutant Shamim Hossain’s cameos from the bat to secure his place in T20’s are other honourable mentions of Bangladesh’s good outing. However, Mahmudullah’s unexpected retirement from the Test arena is the only con that we can point out from this series. Tigers will definitely miss the experience and class of a player with so much calibre as his.