Bangladesh stand-in captain Mosaddek Hossain feels the one over from Nasum Ahmed made the difference in the third T20I at the Harare Sports Club.
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed bowled the most expensive over by a Bangladeshi bowler in T20Is as he conceded 34 runs in the 15th over.
Zimbabwe batter Ryan Burl smashed five sixes and one boundary off Nasum’s over. He hit four sixes in a row in the first four deliveries before hitting a boundary and then a six in the next two deliveries.
“In the first 14 overs, we were on top. But I think that 15th over made the difference in the game,” Mosaddek, who was named captain for the game after skipper for the series Nurul Hasan Sohan was sidelined from the entire tour due to a finger injury, said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Thanks to Burl’s carnage, Zimbabwe were able to post a competitive total of 156 for eight. Burl, who picked up his second T20I fifty on way to a boundary-laden 28-ball 54, said he always had faith in the depth of their batting unit.
“Losing a few wickets early was not ideal. But we have got quite a lot of depth in the batting line-up, so we were very confident,” Burl said.
Asked what he had in mind when he walked out to the ground with Zimbabwe reeling at 55 for five in 9.1 overs, he spoke about trusting in the process that they have been following as a team lately.
“Just trusting the process. I just tried to stay positive and take the positive options,” Burl, the player of the match, added.
While Zimbabwe had faith in their batting depth, the scenario was almost the opposite in the Bangladesh camp. Skipper Moasaddek reiterated that losing wickets at regular intervals made the Tigers’ task of chasing a steep target even harder.
“If you are losing wickets every over in T20 cricket then it is always difficult to chase down. But I think Afif played really well,” Mosaddek added.Mosaddek, however, remained confident that Bangladesh would bounce back in the upcoming three-match ODI series, scheduled to begin from August 5 at the same venue.