Nafees, Mehrab set up easy win

Bogra—A flamboyant half-century from Shahriar Nafees plus a more sedate contribution from Mehrab Hossain guided Bangladesh to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe, in the second one-day international at Bogra, and a 2-0 series lead. Their opening stand of 104 broke the back of the run chase after a disciplined bowling performance had restricted Zimbabwe to an under-par 217, despite Sean Williams’ 61.
Nafees, who struck an 105 in the first match, cut loose against the new ball and any thoughts Zimbabwe had of clawing themselves back into the series disappeared as rapidly as the ball off Nafees’s bat. He struck 10 boundaries with his half-century arriving off 45 balls. Mehrab took more than twice as long for his landmark, but it was an equally important contribution which ensured there was no back into the match for Zimbabwe. Saqibul Hasan added some blows of his own in a 28-ball 36 and Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, had the satisfaction of being in the middle when the winning runs arrived with more than seven overs to spare. This result, coupled with Bangladesh’s nine-wicket win in the opening match, continues to suggest there is even a noticeable gulf appearing between these two teams - especially in sub-continental conditions.—Agencies