Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bat first in the decisive T20I match against Bangladesh in Bulawayo. The hosts are looking to secure a clean sweep of the trophies available during this tour, having already clinched both the one-off Test and the ODI series 2-1. Bangladesh, meanwhile, were looking to end a disappointing cricket series on a high, as confirmed by Zimbabwe Cricket, after recovering from a loss in the opening T20I to dominate the second encounter.
The visitors have been forced into a significant lineup change, as Nahid Rana was ruled out of the match due to a side strain sustained on Friday. Rana, who left the field after bowling only 2.3 overs, was excluded from the XI as a precaution ahead of Bangladesh's upcoming tour of Australia. Abdul Gaffar Saqlain has been brought in as his replacement. Additionally, Bangladesh made a second adjustment by benching Nurul Hasan in favor of allrounder Mosaddek Hossain, with Parvez Hossain Emon taking over wicketkeeping duties.
Zimbabwe responded to the conditions at the Bulawayo surface, which has shown unexpected bounce and carry early in the week while tending to assist spinners later on. The home side swapped out lower-order batter Tashinga Musekia for seamer Tino Maposa. This tactical shift provides Zimbabwe with a bowling attack consisting of four quicks, medium-pacer Dion Myers, and three spin options. As a result of this change, Brad Evans has moved up the batting order to the No. 8 position.
For Zimbabwe, this match marks the end of their current engagement before they prepare to host India for a three-match T20I series next week. They are hopeful that a victory today will provide momentum heading into the high-profile series against India.
Zimbabwe XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (capt), Ryan Burl, Milton Shumba, Clive Madande, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), Towhid Hridoy (capt), Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.
Zimbabwe: 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk) 3 Dion Myers, 4 Sikandar Raza (capt), 5 Ryan Burl, 6 Milton Shumba, 7 Clive Madande, 8 Brad Evans, 9 Tinotenda Maposa, 10 Richard Ngarava, 11 Blessing Muzarabani
Bangladesh: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy (capt), 5 Yasir Ali, 6 Mosaddek Hossain 7 Rishad Hossain, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mahedi Hasan, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Abdul Gaffar Saqlain
