Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the second T20I match at the Harare Sports Club to even the series at one game each, but not before new captain Nurul Hasan missed nearly a month of action due to a finger injury.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat, Zimbabwe was only able to score 135/8 runs in their 20 overs, with Sikandar Raza being the only batsman to play the Bangladeshi bowlers with confidence and reach the half-century mark.
Off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain took five wickets in his four overs, but Bangladesh also suffered a major setback due to Nurul's left index finger injury sustained during keeping. Nurul will now miss Tuesday's series finale at the same location due to the injury.
Bangladesh responded by scoring the necessary runs with 15 deliveries remaining, three wickets lost, and the three-match series tied 1-1. Bangladesh lost the first T20I by 17 runs at the same location.
The medical team has revealed that the best-case scenario for the T20 captain is a rehabilitation period of roughly a month, therefore the 28-year-old Nurul will also miss the three ODI matches that are a part of the Zimbabwe tour.
The index finger had a fracture, according to an X-ray, Bangladesh physio Muzadded Alpha Sany was cited by the International Cricket Council as stating. "The healing process for these wounds takes about three weeks. He will consequently miss the final T20 game on Tuesday and the forthcoming ODI series " he added.
Nurul is only two matches in to his reign as Bangladesh's T20I captain, and a stand-in skipper for the series decider is yet to be announced.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 135/8 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 62, Ryan Burl 32; Mosaddek Hossain 5/20) lost to Bangladesh 136/3 in 17.3 overs (Litton Das 56, Afif Hossain 30) by seven wickets.