AFP/Dhaka


Paceman Mustafizur Rahman grabbed 5-34 as Bangladesh thrashed Zimbabwe by 61 runs in the third and final one-day international to complete a whitewash in Dhaka yesterday.
Mustafizur jolted Zimbabwe with two early strikes and then returned in his final spell to polish off the tail to grab his third five-wicket haul in just nine ODIs.
His heroics left the visitors all out for 215 in 43.3 overs, in reply to Bangladesh’s decent 276-9.
Bangladesh had won the first two matches by 145 runs and 58 runs to seal their fifth successive ODI series win.
Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal both scored 73 to set up Bangladesh’s score after skipper Mashrafe Mortaza opted to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Sean Williams scored 64 runs and Elton Chigumbura added 45 to give Zimbabwe some hope but Bangladesh did not look back after occasional spinner Sabbir Rahman broke their 80-run fourth wicket stand.
Mortaza then removed Williams, who faced 84 balls, before 20-year old Mustafizur took out Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe off successive balls.
Mortaza heaped praise on Mustafizur, who made his ODI debut against India earlier this year.
“He has many variations. For instance, he has two kinds of cutters,” Mortaza said about Mustafizur after the match.   
“If a batsman plays two balls, he may think that he (Mustafizur) will bowl this way but then he opts other way. So the batsman gets confused.”
Tamim and Kayes earlier put on 147 runs in their opening partnership to lay the foundation for Bangladesh’s total.
Zimbabwe hit back after removing the duo in quick succession but Mahmudullah smashed a rapid-fire 52 off 40 balls to help the hosts recover for a decent total.
Kayes, who scored 76 in the previous match, led the charge knocking six fours and four sixes off 95 balls before he was stumped by Chakabva off Raza.
Tamim soon followed, dismissed in the same fashion as Chakabva completed his second stumping, this time off Graeme Cremer.
Left-hander Tamim faced 98 balls, his innings featuring seven fours and a six.
Malcolm Waller removed Mushfiqur Rahim for 28 to become Chakabva’s third stumping.
Cremer then dismissed Liton Das for 17 and took two catches at point off Luke Jongwe in the same over to send Sabbir Rahman (one) and Nasir Hossain (nought).
Zimbabwe captain Chigumbura lamented his team’s poor batting throughout the series.
“It is obviously disappointing, especially the way we have batted in the last three games,” he said.
“We started to get better but obviously it is too late when you consider that it is a three-match series,” he said.
Cremer claimed 2-53 while Jongwe finished with 2-50.
The two teams will play two Twenty20 internationals on November 13 and 15 at the same venue.