Bangladesh Under-19 continued their winning momentum in the tri-nation youth ODI series in Zimbabwe, defeating the hosts by 91 runs in Harare on Monday to secure their second consecutive victory.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted a competitive total of 274 for 8 in 50 overs. The platform was set by opener Zawad Abrar, who struck a fluent 82 off 63 balls, including 12 fours and a six. Rifat Beg added a useful 31 before falling early in the second powerplay, breaking a 70-run opening partnership.
Although the middle-order batters failed to convert their starts, wicketkeeper-batter Md Abdullah held the innings together with an unbeaten 54 off 64 deliveries. Debasish Deba contributed 24 runs from 36 balls, helping Bangladesh push past the 250-run mark.
In reply, Zimbabwe made a promising start, with opener Nathaniel Hlabangana scoring a composed 53 off 72 balls. However, the rest of the batting order crumbled under pressure. Brendan Senzere offered brief resistance with 26 off 23 balls, but no other batter managed to build a substantial innings.
Left-arm spinner Samiun Basir starred with the ball, picking up 3 wickets for just 14 runs. Captain Azizul Hakim and Al Fahad took two wickets apiece, while Shadhin Islam also claimed a key scalp.
With this win, Bangladesh moved to the top of the points table, having beaten South Africa U-19 in their opening match. Each team in the tri-series will face one another three times, with the top two sides advancing to the final.
Bangladesh will face South Africa again in their third match of the series on 31 July at the same venue.
