Old rivals face off with new agendas
The last time Elton Chigumbura and co arrived here, Bangladesh's national team was in tatters. They had lost 12 of their 13 ODIs prior to that series, the team management was heavily shuffled with a new coach on board and a new captain had been assigned.
A comparison of the pre-series scenarios of the current Zimbabwe tour and the one last November couldn't have revealed more contradictory results.
The last time Elton Chigumbura and co arrived here, Bangladesh's national team was in tatters. They had lost 12 of their 13 ODIs prior to that series, the team management was heavily shuffled with a new coach on board and a new captain had been assigned.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. There were hopes that the series would eventually turn the tables for the hosts. While it eventually did, those who were present at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will tell you that it was no easy task.
Mushfiqur Rahim's men needed just 100 runs to win the first Test of the series, a match which was going to mark Bangladesh's first win against a full-member nation in any format that year. The hosts were reduced to 0 for 3 before the eventually scampered to a three-wicket win.
The mindset of the Tigers changed after that series and it was something that was evident in the 2015 World Cup.
As a new series begins today, the targets for the Tigers are completely different.
Having beaten top-ranked sides with ease this year, the challenge for the Zimbabwe series remains different. The popular notion is that anything less than a whitewash in the ODIs would be deemed a disappointing result. However, a defeat in the warm-up game at Fatullah suggests that this series could be far more interesting than it initially seemed.
In terms of the team line-up, the Tigers have been forced to make a number of changes due to injuries. Soumya Sarkar, who has been Bangladesh's leading run-getter this year, had to be released from the team due to a side-strain and is likely to be replaced at the top by either Liton Das or Imrul Kayes. If Imrul gets the nod, then Liton will play at number three and that would lead to the hosts playing eight batsmen. In which case, Bangladesh will have to drop either one of their specialist spinners -- Jubair Hossain or Arafat Sunny.
It seems as though the only way either of the new pacers, Al-Amin Hossain or Kamrul Islam, will get an opportunity is if the Tigers decide to have seven batsmen in the side and drop either Sunny or Jubair.
Zimbabwe on the other hand will be missing Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza, both of whom are their highest run-getters against Bangladesh. However, as skipper Elton Chigumbura said yesterday, Zimbabwe are confident with their current line-up and have the potential to do extremely well on their day.
They have a number of spinners in their side and they will look to utilise them to the fullest. Leg-spinner Graeme Cremer would be the one to watch out for. He returned to the side for this series and removed the top three batsmen during the practice match on Thursday.
The Tigers don't usually face a lot of leg-spinners in domestic cricket and will have to keep their focus on him. Craig Ervine and Sean Williams have been Zimbabwe's most consistent batsmen this year and have averaged above 40 in 2015. They proved their potential with match-winning half-centuries on Thursday. Another player to watch out for would be Chamu Chibhaba who is Zimbabwe highest run-getter this year.
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