Bangladesh made a strong start against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the 2026 UAE ODI Tri-Series at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bat first. However, Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed put Zimbabwe under pressure with early wickets.
Taskin dismissed opening batter Brian Bennett for a duck in the first over. He then sent Ben Curran back to the pavilion in the fifth over. In the seventh over, he dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga. As a result, Zimbabwe lost three wickets early and struggled to build a strong start.
Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine came to the crease and tried to steady Zimbabwe’s innings. Taskin finished his opening spell with three wickets for 13 runs in five overs. He also bowled two maiden overs, giving Bangladesh a strong start with the ball.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh played without regular captain Litton Das, who missed the match due to an injury. Towhid Hridoy led the team in his absence. Zimbabwe also gave wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga his ODI debut.
The match is part of the UAE ODI Tri-Series, which also features Afghanistan. Both teams are looking to start the series well and build confidence for their upcoming international matches.
At the latest reported score, Zimbabwe had reached 28 runs for three wickets after nine overs. Bangladesh held the advantage in the early stages, while Zimbabwe needed a strong partnership to recover from the early setbacks.