BAN vs ZIM scorecard, 1st T20I highlights: Bangladesh thrash Zimbabwe by eight wickets in series-opener

Bangladesh, on Friday (May 3), thrashed Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the first T20I in Chattogram to take the lead in the five-match series. Set a modest target of 125 runs, Bangladesh crossed the finishing line inside 16 overs by losing just two wickets.

Bangladesh's chase was off to a shaky start as Blessing Muzarabani dismissed opener Litton Das for just 1 run in the second over. However, Tanzid Hasan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto did not let the visitors make more inroads in the game.

While the duo did not bat at a good pace, they made sure to keep the wickets intact. They added 52 runs in 48 balls for the second wicket before Luke Jongwe dismissed Shanto. The Bangladesh captain departed after scoring 21 runs off 24 balls.

Hasan and Towhid Hridoy then shared an unbeaten 69-run stand to take Bangladesh home. Hasan remained unbeaten on 67 off 47 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes. On the other hand, Hridoy scored 33 off 18 balls including five fours and a six.

"Everyone played well today, all the bowlers were excellent, but we can still learn from this game and come back well in the next match," Shanto said after the game.

"Last couple of days, we trained very hard and I hope that Tanzid continues his form. It's difficult, but we can't control those things, the thing we can control is our process. Towhid showed a lot of character and I'm happy with the way Tanzid finished the innings," he added.

BAN vs ZIM: Zimbabwe innings

Earlier in the game, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 124 runs after they were asked to bat first. Three of their top five batters could not even open their account as the African country started their innings in a disastrous fashion.

Mahedi Hasan gave Bangladesh the first breakthrough by dismissing Craig Ervine for a duck in the second over. Joylord Gumbie and Brian Bennett added 28 runs for the second wicket before the former's dismissal opened the floodgates.

Saifuddin dismissed Gumbie for 17 runs in the fifth over to reduce Zimbabwe to 36 for 2. In the sixth over, Bennett was run out for 16 before Mahedi Hasan dismissed captain Sikandar Raza for a golden duck in the same over to reduce Zimbabwe to 36 for 4. In the seventh over, Taskin Ahmed dismissed Sean Williams and Ryan Burl for golden ducks to leave Zimbabwe six down for 38.

Three runs later, Jongwe departed as well. Clive Madande and Wellington Masakadza then stopped the rot and took Zimbabwe to a respectable total by adding 75 runs for the eighth wicket. The partnership was broken by Taskin in the 19th over when he dismissed Madande for 43. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 124.

BAN vs ZIM scorecard: