Veteran Raymond Price grabbed 4-22 and hit two boundaries in the last over to lead Zimbabwe to an exciting two-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Monday.
The 32-year-old recorded his career-best figures and then scored a match-winning 24 not out as Zimbabwe surpassed Bangladesh’s modest 124 with four balls to spare.
Paceman Mashrafe Mortaza (3-21) and spinner Shakib Al Hasan (3-11) picked three wickets each to reduce Zimbabwe to 92-8, before debutant Malcolm Waller (24) and Price crushed the home team’s victory bid.
With Zimbabwe needing six runs off the final over, man-of-the-match Price struck boundaries off the first two deliveries from seamer Nazmul Hossain to give his team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
It was Zimbabwe’s second successive win over Bangladesh, having beaten the hosts by 38 runs in the recent tri-series in Dhaka that also featured Sri Lanka.
Earlier, Price and fellow left-arm spinner Keith Debengwa (3-15) wrecked Bangladesh’s innings.
The hosts were off to a slow start, taking 24 deliveries to score their first run off the bat after Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and elected to bat in overcast conditions.
Opener Junaid Siddique was the first to go when he was trapped leg-before by paceman Edmond Rainsford, who conceded just five runs in his first six overs.
Tamim Iqbal (13) was dismissed by Hamilton Masakadza, while Ashraful struggled to make four off 18 balls.
Shakib revived the innings briefly, making 15, which included a pulled six over midwicket.
Raqibul Hasan top-scored with a 33-ball 28, but the rest of the batting caved in as Bangladesh slumped to their third lowest one-day total against Zimbabwe.
The second one-dayer will be played on Wednesday. — AFP
