3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh at Bulawayo, 11 Apr 2001 CricInfo Live Report

3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh at Bulawayo, 11 Apr 2001
John Ward

Pre-game: Zimbabwe win toss and bat,
Zimbabwe innings: Zimbabwe innings,

GRANT FLOWER'S CENTURY SEIZES INITIATIVE FOR ZIMBABWE AGAINST BANGLADESH

Bangladesh, hoping for a face-saving victory in the third and final one-day international against Zimbabwe, had their hopes raised when they reduced their hosts to 39 for three. Then the Flower brothers took over with a fourth-wicket partnership of 148, and the match was prised from their grasp as Zimbabwe totalled a probably unassailable 308 for four. Grant Flower's unbeaten 142 equalled Zimbabwe's previous best one-day score by Dave Houghton against New Zealand in the World Cup of 1987/88.

The match began under unseasonably cloudy skies, but on a good-looking, if slightly green, pitch at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe kept the same team again and have thus played the same eleven players throughout the series. Bangladesh made one change, dropping opener Al-Shahriar for 17-year-old all-rounder Mohammed Ashraful.

Zimbabwe batted on winning the toss, but lost three wickets for 39 as the ball moved around early on. Alistair Campbell (0) was given out controversially caught at the wicket, swishing vaguely at a ball well down the leg side, by umpire Russell Tiffin off Manjural Islam, and Dion Ebrahim (5), after one scintillating hit to the point boundary, was caught in the slips off the same bowler. Finally Guy Whittall (26), who had played a positive innings, was bowled by a ball from Mushfiqur Rahman that kept low as he attempted a pull, and dragged it on to his stumps. The Flower brothers came together in an attempt to rescue Zimbabwe from an unexpected crisis.

They did a manful job, although Bangladesh missed two possible chances, one from each, because they did not post a slip after the 15-over restrictions were lifted. Ones and twos came steadily, and gradually the batsmen began to open up, Andy passing fifty with two sweeps (the second a reverse) that almost carried for six. Grant soon followed, and it seemed nothing would stop the brothers until Andy on 80 off 91 balls was out to a rare dismissal off a reverse sweep, superbly caught by Mohammed Sharif. They had added 148 together and transformed the match.

Grant, accompanied by Stuart Carlisle, went on to reach his fourth one-day century, and then unleashed his full range of strokes on the unfortunate bowlers. The 300 came up in the final over and Flower, after spending 113 balls reaching his century, scored another 42 runs off his next 15. Carlisle, batting valuably but overshadowed, scored an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls.

ZIMBABWE AND BANGLADESH CONTEST THIRD ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL

The third and final one-day international between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh began under unseasonably cloudy skies, but on a good-looking, if slightly green, pitch at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe went into the match with a two-nil lead and were looking for a clean sweep. Bangladesh's one hope, it appeared, was that Zimbabwe would subconsciously relax and enable them to fight back.

Zimbabwe kept the same team again and have thus kept the same eleven players throughout the series. Bangladesh made one change, dropping opener Al-Shahriar for all-rounder Mohammad Ashraful.

Teams:

Zimbabwe: *Heath Streak, Guy Whittall, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, +Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Blignaut, Dirk Viljoen, Bryan Strang, David Mutendera

Bangladesh: *Naimur Rahman, +Khaled Masud, Javed Omar, Mohammad Ashraful, Habibul Bashar, Mehrab Hossain, Akram Khan, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammad Sharif, Monjurul Islam.