Craig Ervine’s 93 and Brendan Taylor’s 81 rescued Zimbabwe from 24 for 3 as they beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opening match of the ODI tri-series in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Brad Evans took four wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 172.
Abu Dhabi, UAE: Zimbabwe lost three wickets in the first ten overs and finished the day winning by 99 runs. The difference was two senior batters, a 150-run stand and a Bangladesh batting order that never got close to the target.
Ervine and Taylor rebuild
Zimbabwe batted first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium and were in trouble early, three down for 24. Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor then put the innings back together with a partnership of 150. Ervine made 93 and Taylor 81, and between them they carried Zimbabwe to 271 for 8 in their 50 overs, a total that proved far beyond Bangladesh.
Bangladesh fall away
The reply never found any rhythm. Brad Evans took 4 for 45, with Wellington Masakadza and Sikandar Raza among the other wicket-takers, and Bangladesh were bowled out for 172 in 33.4 overs. Tanzid Hasan Tamim top-scored with 46, and Taskin Ahmed took three wickets in Zimbabwe’s innings.
Raza’s first win as ODI captain
The result was Raza’s first win as Zimbabwe’s ODI captain. He credited Ervine and Taylor for steadying the innings, and Masakadza and Newman Nyamhuri for finishing the job. He also warned against reading too much into the result, saying there is no easy game or easy win, while noting Zimbabwe had won three of their last four ODIs against Bangladesh.
Evans was also among the key performers when Zimbabwe beat Namibia by five runs in a T20I tri-series in Windhoek at the start of September.
Result: Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 99 runs (ODI tri-series, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Saturday 17 October 2026)
Zimbabwe: 271/8 (50 overs) – Craig Ervine 93, Brendan Taylor 81; Taskin Ahmed 3-44
Bangladesh: 172 all out (33.4 overs) – Tanzid Hasan Tamim 46; Brad Evans 4-45, Wellington Masakadza 2-18
