Zimbabwe Stun Bangladesh by 99 Runs in UAE Tri-Series Opener as Brendan Taylor Breaks Andy Flower’s Record
Zimbabwe began their UAE ODI Tri-Series campaign with a commanding 99-run victory over Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, as Brendan Taylor’s 81 and Craig Ervine’s 93 powered the visitors to 271 for 8 before Bangladesh were bowled out for 172.
Taylor and Ervine rescue Zimbabwe after Taskin’s early strikes
Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, but Taskin Ahmed tore through the top order, removing Brian Bennett, Ben Curran and debutant Tafadzwa Tsiga to leave the visitors reeling at 24 for 3 inside seven overs. Taskin finished with 3 for 44. Veteran Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine then rebuilt with a 150-run fourth-wicket stand — Taylor struck 10 fours in his 101-ball 81, while Ervine hit nine fours in his 106-ball 93. Both fell short of hundreds, but unbeaten 21s from Newman Nyamhuri and Wellington Masakadza lifted Zimbabwe to 271 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Taylor passes Andy Flower’s Zimbabwe ODI record
Taylor’s innings was his first ODI half-century in six years, and in reaching it he went past Andy Flower’s Zimbabwe record for most runs in one-day internationals — a landmark moment in the country’s cricket history.
Bangladesh’s chase falls apart — Tanzid 46, Evans takes four
Bangladesh’s reply started brightly through Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who struck 46 off 38 balls with nine fours and a six. But the chase collapsed once the openers fell: stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy, leading in the absence of the injured Litton Das, made 13, and Saif Hassan’s 26 was the next best. Brad Evans ripped through the middle and lower order with 4 for 45, while Wellington Masakadza (2 for 18), Sikandar Raza (2 for 28) and Blessing Muzarabani (1 for 23) shared the rest. Bangladesh were all out for 172 in 33.4 overs.
What the result means for the tri-series
Zimbabwe have now won five of their last seven ODIs against Bangladesh, and their net run rate gets a significant boost at the start of the tri-series. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have failed to chase a target of 240 or more in eight of their last ten innings batting second — a worrying pattern before their next match.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo (17 Oct 2026), SAMAA TV, tob.news (18 Oct 2026)
