ZIMBABWE will need a sharper display in the field when they meet Bangladesh in a series-deciding third T20 International at Queens Sports Club this afternoon, after fielding lapses cost the the second match.
Bangladesh levelled the three-match series at 1-1 with a 34-run win, built around a 120-run opening stand between Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan that Zimbabwe let slip through repeated dropped catches.
Milton Shumba shelled chances off Saif alone, at eight, 17 and 37 while Brad Evans also put down a catch, on 19, and Dion Myers missed one on 46. Saif eventually fell for 55 off 45 balls, bowled by Sikandar Raza, after facing five reprieves in the field.
Tanzid was dismissed next ball for 58 off 44 to Richard Ngarava, who struck again in the same over to remove the Bangladesh captain.
A late flurry from Mahedi Hasan, who hit 31 off 10 balls including four consecutive sixes, and an unbeaten 22 from Yasir Ali added 45 runs in 19 balls to push Bangladesh's total beyond Zimbabwe's reach.
Zimbabwe bowling consultant Quinton Friend backed Shumba to bounce back from the fielding lapses and stressed the importance of protecting his confidence ahead of the decider.
"There's no reason why he needs to feel that he's not required to be at this level. Because he is. He's earned the right to be here. And we've got to make sure that we keep them positive come Game 3," Friend said.
Friend said Zimbabwe's fielding, not their bowling, had been the difference in the match.
"If we held on to those catches, it was probably a 34-3 power play. And that's how quickly the game changes. This bowling attack has been phenomenal. This is the first time that they've been put under serious pressure," he said.
On the batting side, Friend pointed to the middle-order collapse during Zimbabwe's chase of 186, saying the top order needed to convert starts into match-defining partnerships.
"We lost too many wickets at crucial stages. We were not able to put together those partnerships that we were looking for. When you're chasing a score like that, a 60-70, maybe an 80-run partnership puts you in a good position to finish strong if you have wickets in hand," Friend said.
Ahead of today's decider, Friend called for a complete performance from his side.
"We've got one more game to go. It's important that we pitch up on Sunday and give it our absolute everything. It's 1-1. We've got to come out and play our best cricket and try and win the series 2-1," he said.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said he was "genuinely embarrassed" by his side’s fielding after Bangladesh squared the T20I series.
Raza admitted the sloppy fielding spilled into the batting.
"The surface was a bit slow," Raza said.
"We knew it would get better before it started to turn. But honestly, as captain, I’m embarrassed to be sitting here. The way we fielded had a knock-on effect on our batting."
Despite the errors, Raza praised the bowlers for fighting back. Richard Ngarava and Raza himself kept things tight through the middle overs.
"Credit to the bowlers, apart from the last over," he said.
"Even after dropping that many catches, we had them on 158 or 159 going into the 19th. I thought that was a great effort considering we had already put down seven chances by then."
The 19th over proved costly. Brad Evans was taken apart for 28 runs as Mahedi Hasan smashed four sixes in a row and finished on 31 off 10 balls. Yasir Ali added an unbeaten 22 as Bangladesh posted 186/5.
Zimbabwe’s reply never got going. They were bowled out for 150, with the dropped catches clearly weighing on the chase.
"The ripple effect of those fielding mistakes carried into our batting," Raza said.
"That’s why you saw us bat the way we did today."
"Fielding wins you T20 games," Raza added. "If we don’t clean that up, it’s going to be a long day again."
Bangladesh opener Saif Hassan, who survived five chances in the second match said his side was still adjusting to conditions in Zimbabwe despite the win.
"These conditions are a little bit tough for our batters. In the last couple of months we have been doing really well at home. So sometimes we struggle outside because of the different conditions," Hassan said.
He said limited preparation time had also been a factor.
"We only had five to seven days to come and practise before the start of the tournament. But inshallah, hopefully we will win the T20 series," said.