Bangladesh secured a convincing 3-0 series victory over Zimbabwe after a dramatic nine-run win in the third Twenty20 international played in Chittagong on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 166, Zimbabwe looked down and out at 91-8 before a late fightback led by debutant Faraz Akram (34* off 19 balls) and Wellington Masakadza (31).
Their record-breaking 54-run ninth-wicket partnership threatened to steal the win, but Mohammad Saifuddin (3-42) held his nerve in the final over, dismissing Masakadza off the first ball and conceding only three runs to seal the victory.
Earlier, Bangladesh recovered from a slow start after being put in to bat. Towhid Hridoy, adjudged Player of the Match, smashed a maiden T20I half-century (57 off 38 balls) and shared a crucial 87-run stand with Jaker Ali (44 off 34 balls) to propel the hosts to a competitive total.
Blessing Muzarabani (3-14) was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers, claiming career-best figures but failing to prevent Bangladesh from posting a defendable score.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza acknowledged his team’s batting struggles, particularly from the top order.
“The top five including myself have to raise our hands for the failure,” he admitted. “Bangladesh have shown us that one guy can get set and the others can bat around him. This target was chaseable.”
Bangladesh will look to complete a clean sweep when the series resumes with the fourth and fifth T20Is scheduled for Friday and Sunday in Dhaka.
