Watch BAN vs ZIM 1st T20I highlights: Bowlers starred in Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe in the opening fixture of the five-match T20I series on Friday (May 5).

Bangladesh opted to field first in the series opener. Mahedi Hasan gave the first breakthrough to the hosts by dismissing Craig Ervine for a duck in the second over. Coming in at No.3, 20-year-old Brian Brenett launched a counterattack in the third over by thudding Shoriful Islam for three fours in a row. Then Taskin Ahmed dominated the proceedings as Bennett and newbie Joylord Gumbie struggled to connect the ball. Gumbie was softened by Taskin, the beneficiary of which was Mohammad Saifuddin, who dismissed him in the final ball of the fifth over.

Bennet slowed down and was run out off the first ball in the sixth over for a 15-ball 16. Off the very next ball, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza perished without opening his account, courtesy of Mahedi Hasan. Raza tried to play a lap sweep but ended up lobbing the ball to Litton Das at slip.

After losing three wickets in three balls, Taskin dismissed Ryan Burl (0) and Luke Jongwe (2) off the first two balls of the seventh over. As a result, Zimbabwe slipped to 41-7 from 36-1 in 17 deliveries.

In a period of consolidation, Clive Madande, the last recognised batter for Zimbabwe, found support in Wellington Masakadza. The duo added 75 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest in their country’s history. It nearly surpassed the world record held by Scotland’s Preston Mommsen and Safyaan Sharif, who scored an 80-run stand against the Netherlands in 2015.

Zimbabwe finished at 124, recording their lowest total against Bangladesh.

With an unbeaten 67 off 47 balls, debutant Tanzid Hasan helped Bangladesh gun down the total in 15.2 overs. The other contributor to their batting effort was Towhid Hridoy (33 not out off 18). Tanzid got into the T20I fold on the back of strong BPL and struck two sixes and eight fours in his innings. He became the first since Junaid Siddique in 2007 to score a fifty on T20I debut for Bangladesh.

Taskin was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell of 3-14.

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