BOGRA (Bangladesh), Dec 5: Abdur Razzak grabbed five wickets as Bangladesh whipped Zimbabwe by 26 runs in the third one-day international here on Tuesday to gain an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The left-arm spinner finished with a career-best haul of 5-33 as the hosts defended their modest total of 220 by dismissing Zimbabwe for 194.
Middle-order batsman Sean Williams slammed a career-best 68 for a second successive half-century, but his effort failed to stop Bangladesh from winning the day-night match.
Williams, who made 61 in the previous game, sustained Zimbabwe's hopes when he put on 75 for the fifth wicket with Elton Chigumbura (31) and 58 for the next with Keith Dabengwa (31).
Razzak swung the match in Bangladesh's favour when he bowled Dabengwa and then had Williams caught by substitute Farhad Reza in the closing stages, which saw Zimbabwe lose five wickets for 13 runs in the last four overs.
Seamer Christopher Mpofu (4-42) and spinner Dabengwa (3-19) had earlier shared seven wickets to raise Zimbabwe's hopes of posting a win.
Dabengwa, with just three wickets in seven one-dayers before this game, was brilliantly supported by off-spinner Prosper Utseya, who took 1-21 off 10 economical overs on a slow track.
Bangladesh raced to 64 in fewer than 10 overs after being put in to bat, thanks to left-handed Shahriar Nafees (35) and teenager Mehrab Hossain (38), who began with a flurry of boundaries.
Zimbabwe fought back through spinners Dabengwa, Utseya and Williams, who did not allow the Bangladeshi batsmen to score freely during their tight spells. Mohammad Ashraful (36), Saqibul Hasan (26) and Mashrafe Mortaza (23 not out) were the other notable contributors.
Scoreboard
BANGLADESH
Shahriar Nafees c Brent b Chigumbura 35
Mehrab Hossain b Mpofu 38
Aftab Ahmed c Rainsford b Utseya 16
Saqibul Hasan c Williams b Brent 26
Habibul Bashar c Brent b Mpofu 3
Mohd Ashraful c Chibhabha b Dabengwa 36
Khaled Mashud b Dabengwa 11
Mohammad Rafique c and b Dabengwa 3
Mashrafe Mortaza not out 23
Abdur Razzak c Taylor b Mpofu 5
Shahdat Hossain c Rainsford b Mpofu 5
EXTRAS: (B-2, LB-4, NB-4, W-9) 19
TOTAL: (all out, 49.2 overs) 220
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-64, 2-85, 3-113, 4-123, 5-138, 6-169, 7-179, 8-184, 9-202.