Nasir, seamers trip up Zimbabweans

The Zimbabweans' woes continued on their tour to Bangladesh, as they were convincingly beaten by the BCB XI in a warm-up game before five-match ODI series that begins on Friday.

The Zimbabweans chose to bowl in the 13-per-side game, and their bowlers enjoyed some early success, reducing the hosts to 51 for 3 in the 15th over. However a half-century stand was put on by Shamsur Rahman and Sabbir Rahman for the fourth wicket to make sure the team didn't slump. They fell in quick succession, Shamsur for 49, before a 94-run sixth-wicket partnership at 6.55 between Shuvagata Hom and Nasir Hossain set them on their way to a very competitive 282. While part-time seamer Vusi Sibanda got the most wickets - four - he was expensive like many of his team-mates; only new-ball bowler Neville Madziva and legspinner Tafadzwa Kamungozi went at under a run a ball.

The Zimbabweans had a promising start in the chase with 40 for the first wicket by Brendan Taylor and Regis Chakabva, and 77 for the third between Sikandar Raza and Timycen Maruma, but a slide followed and the team never recovered. They lost six wickets for 36 runs, going from 132 for 2 to 168 for 8. The BCB XI bowlers shared the wickets around, with, somewhat surprisingly, the seamers being more among the wickets than the spinners. The Zimbabweans were eventually bowled out for 194 in the 46th over.