After a narrow loss to South Africa in their previous outing, the Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team made an emphatic comeback by defeating Zimbabwe by eight wickets in Harare, securing their place in the final of the Tri-Nation U-19 Series. The match was held on Friday at the Harare Sports Club ground, where the junior Tigers displayed a commanding all-round performance.

Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Bangladesh bowlers quickly established their dominance over the home side. Fast bowler Iqbal Hossain Imon led the attack with an impressive spell, claiming four wickets for 27 runs. He received strong support from spinner Sanjid Majumdar, who picked up two wickets for 26 runs. Leg-spinner Swadhin Islam was equally effective, taking two wickets for just one run. The hosts struggled throughout their innings and were bowled out for a modest total of 89 runs in just 22.3 overs.

Zimbabwe’s batting collapsed under pressure, with only two batters managing to reach double digits. Nathaniel Hlabangana scored 26 runs, while Brandon Ndyueni contributed 20. The rest of the batting lineup failed to resist the clinical Bangladeshi bowling unit, resulting in one of Zimbabwe’s lowest totals in recent youth fixtures.

Chasing a modest target, Bangladesh lost an early wicket when Rifat Begh was dismissed for a duck. However, opener Kalam Siddique brought some momentum into the innings with a quickfire 20 off 16 balls. From there, captain Azizul Haque Tamim took charge, steering the team to victory with an unbeaten knock of 47 runs off 49 deliveries. His innings included six boundaries and one six, demonstrating both composure and authority.

Rizwan Hossain supported his captain with a calm 21 not out, and the pair guided Bangladesh to their target in just 15.1 overs, losing only two wickets. The clinical performance with both ball and bat ensured a comfortable win and boosted Bangladesh’s net run rate, which now places them at the top of the points table.

After four matches each, both Bangladesh and South Africa have accumulated six points, but Bangladesh now lead the standings on superior net run rate. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, remain winless after four matches and are yet to open their account in the tournament.

With their spot in the final now confirmed, the junior Tigers are set to play two more group stage matches before the final. They will face South Africa on August 6 and Zimbabwe again on August 8, both fixtures scheduled to be held at the same venue in Harare. The final of the Tri-Nation U-19 Series will take place on August 10, also at Harare Sports Club.

Bangladesh’s dominant win over Zimbabwe has reinforced their position as strong contenders for the title. The team’s ability to bounce back after a close defeat shows both their resilience and their intent to finish the tournament on a high.