The big picture: Can Bangladesh recover from their batting woes?
Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe has been characterized by failures so far. In their only Test in Harare they were bowled out by an innings and 85 runs. In their first ODI of this three-match series – at the same stadium – they failed to score 142 runs. The latest defeat will bother them more as next year’s ODI World Cup is played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia on surfaces that will encourage the same pace and bounce that Zimbabwe’s bowlers used in Harare.
Bangladesh’s top batters threw away their wickets with Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tohid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz catching poorly executed shots. They were down to 116 and lost by 25 runs in a match where victory seemed inevitable. Their returning prodigy Nahid Rana had earlier scored the best figures in the format for a Bangladeshi bowler – 6 for 21 – and remains their best hope for a repeat bowling performance on Thursday.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe would be buoyed by Richard Ngarawa’s leadership in his first game as ODI captain, as he scored a crucial 27 from the 10th over and then took 3 for 31 in a fiery period characterized by attacking pitches that continued throughout Bangladesh’s ill-fated chase.
Form Guide
Zimbabwe WLLWL (last five matches, starting with most recent)
Bangladesh LLWWW
Spotlight: Newman Nyamhuri and Naheed Rana
Newman Nyamhuri he had a perfect all-round day in the first ODI, even though he was batting at number 9 in the first innings. His career-best 33, an endurance effort that pushed Zimbabwe from 70 for 8 to 141, was followed by two deft catches in the deep. With his main skill, with ball in hand, he also broke a 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket by getting Tanzid Hridoy to hit a short and wide ball outside off. He triggered Bangladesh’s collapse as they lost 7 for 50 and there won’t be many to come.
Newman Nyamhuri produced an all-round performance in the first ODI.•Zimbabwe Cricket
Nahid Rana – A rare player for Bangladesh: a fiery and fast bowler who can reach speeds of up to 150 km/h and maintain it throughout the game. He was rested after the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and was badly missed by their bowling attack as he was unable to use his catch and bounce off the Harare pitch. However, he immediately returned to the side, reminding Bangladesh why he remains a one-of-a-kind prospect. He keeps it agile and fast like no one else in the country.
Team News: Litton Das dropped from the series
Given their struggles on the Harare pitch, Zimbabwe are unlikely to lose any of their best batting despite their figures falling to 70 for 8 in the first ODI. Their fast bowlers staged a robbery for them, sharing the entire 33.1 overs and sharing ten wickets between them; their places are safe.
Zimbabwe (likely): 1 Ben Curran, 2 Brian Bennett, 3 Innocent Kaya, 4 Craig Erwin, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Wesley Madhiver, 7 Clive Madande (wk), 8 Brad Evans, 9 Newman Nyamhuri, 10 Richard Ngarawa (capt), 11 Blessing Muzarabani
Litton Das was expected to recover from the calf injury that kept him out of the first ODI, but he failed to recover and was ruled out of the series, so Bangladesh are also likely to remain unchanged.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Nurul Hasan (wk), 5 Tohid Hridoy, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskeen Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Nahid Rana.
Field and conditions
Prior to this series, the average score on the Harare pitch for teams batting first was 272. However, the pitch provided sufficient speed and bounce – against top-order players ill-equipped to negate the bowlers’ early help – hinting that this could be another low-scoring contest. Temperatures are expected to range between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, although humidity of 45% could negate the cooling effect in Harare.
Statistics and trivia
- 6 runs of 21 in the first ODI was the best bowling performance by a Bangladeshi men’s bowler in ODIs. The previous record was held by Mashrafe Mortaza, who scored 6 of 26 points against Kenya in 2006.
Quotes
“The discussion was that we Zimbabweans can go through any situation and come out of it. I believed that we know who we are. We fight until the end… I’m very happy that I was able to bring a smile to their (fans’) faces. They are our twelfth man, and it’s good to have them.”
Richard Ship on the protection of Zimbabwe 142
“We played very well, especially Nahid – he took six wickets and that was exceptional… The last few series, the way he played was excellent. We can do better, but we need to play in the right areas.”
Mehidy Hasan Miraz on Naheed Rana’s contribution with ball in hand
“Zimbabwe has a great pace bowling team at the moment. The bowlers are tall and they bounce well off the pitches. Our batters are struggling with this. We are working on this. And I hope our batters do better in the next two matches and T20Is and don’t make the same mistakes again.”
Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful
Abhijato Sensarma is Deputy Editor of Cricinfo