Bangladesh avoided a series sweep with a seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the third ODI in Harare. After restricting the hosts to 199, Bangladesh made light work of the chase, reaching the target with 84 balls to spare.
Tanzid Hasan continued his excellent 2026 form with 94, while Soumya Sarkar added 69 as Bangladesh finally found the right balance after losing the first two matches of the series.
Zimbabwe had defended 141 in the first ODI and 247 in the second, but this time 199 was not enough against a much-improved Bangladesh performance.
Bangladesh Bowlers Keep Zimbabwe Quiet
Zimbabwe rested captain Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and Newman Nyamhuri with the series already decided. That left them with a weakened attack, but their batting also struggled for momentum against disciplined Bangladesh bowling. Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were outstanding with the new ball, sharing six wickets between them while conceding only 76 runs across their 20 overs. Bangladesh also benefited from the inclusion of an additional seamer, Mohammad Saifuddin, who took 1 for 31 in 9.1 overs.
On a surface where the ball sometimes held in the pitch, Zimbabwe began cautiously.
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Taskin conceded only six runs in his first three overs and created early pressure, while Shoriful struck first when Ben Curran played on while attempting to guide the ball behind square. Taskin then removed Brian Bennett with a fine delivery that moved away just enough to take the edge.
Zimbabwe went 17 balls without scoring and ended the powerplay on 21 for 2, with Innocent Kaia’s straight drive their only boundary.
Madhevere And Evans Lead Zimbabwe Recovery
Craig Ervine struggled for fluency and made only five from 20 balls before falling to a loose drive off Shoriful. Wessly Madhevere then arrived with Zimbabwe under pressure and was dropped on 0 by backward point off Tanvir Islam. That missed chance proved costly. Madhevere and Kaia added 51 runs, although the scoring rate remained slow. Zimbabwe were only 72 for 3 at the halfway stage.
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Taskin broke the stand by rushing Kaia with a short ball, before stand-in captain Sikandar Raza also fell while attempting a pull. Clive Madande was then caught behind, leaving Zimbabwe in deep trouble at 108 for 6 in the 34th over.
Brad Evans, the hero of Zimbabwe’s innings in the second ODI, again provided late resistance. He began confidently by driving Shoriful through the covers and later survived an appeal for caught behind off Tanvir. Madhevere reached his half-century and continued to find occasional boundaries, while Evans added much-needed energy.
Zimbabwe were helped by another Bangladesh error when Saifuddin dropped Evans on 13 off his own bowling.
Madhevere eventually fell for a career-best 75 after trying to carve Tanvir over the off side, only to be deceived by the lack of pace and caught by Mehidy Hasan Miraz at cover. Evans reached his second straight ODI half-century but ran out of support. He was eventually bounced out by Shoriful, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 199 with 11 balls unused.
Tanzid And Soumya Make Chase Look Easy
Bangladesh confirmed that Zimbabwe had left runs on the field by starting their chase with confidence. Tanzid and Soumya attacked the short ball early and gave the visitors complete control.
Zimbabwe missed several chances, and Tanzid was the main beneficiary. He was dropped on 23, 37 and 65, with Evans involved in two of those opportunities.
Ernest Masuku, playing only his second ODI, struggled with his line early and conceded 26 runs in his first three overs.
Tanzid and Soumya took Bangladesh to 59 without loss at the end of the powerplay before continuing to build calmly. Tanzid brought up his half-century from 49 balls, while Soumya gradually increased his tempo.
The pair brought up Bangladesh’s 100 as Zimbabwe’s fielding mistakes continued to hurt them.
Tanzid Falls Short Of Century
Zimbabwe finally broke through when Chanaka bowled Soumya with a delivery that kept low. By then, however, Bangladesh needed only 49 runs from 22.2 overs. The only remaining question was whether Tanzid could reach his century.
Najmul Hossain Shanto briefly threatened to finish the match quickly by striking three boundaries in one over from Chivanga, but Tanzid soon reclaimed the strike and moved into the 90s.
With Bangladesh needing only three runs to win, Tanzid refused singles as he searched for the big shot that would take him to three figures.
Shanto even played out a maiden to give him another chance.
However, Tanzid’s attempt to reach his hundred ended when he was caught at long-on by Evans for 94.
Bangladesh still completed the chase comfortably, sealing a seven-wicket win with 14 overs remaining.
Bangladesh End Series With Strong Response
Zimbabwe won the series 2-1, but Bangladesh finished with a much-needed victory. Their bowlers were disciplined, their fielding errors did not prove costly, and their top order finally produced a commanding chase.
For Zimbabwe, Madhevere’s 75 and Evans’ second consecutive half-century were positives, but dropped catches and a second-choice bowling attack left them unable to complete a clean sweep.
Tanzid’s 94 continued his outstanding year and gave Bangladesh a consolation win to close the series on a better note.
