Tigers' eyes on the prize

When the Tigers take the field in Mirpur today, there's no doubt that their sole target will be securing the series. If they win today, it will be the third time that the Tigers won four consecutive series.

They have done it in the past against lower-ranked sides in 2006 and 2009; however, the achievement in 2015 definitely soars above the rest, since the Tigers have claimed wins against three of world cricket's heavyweights.

While winning the series will obviously be the team target, the match will also provide an opportunity for a number of players to prove themselves. Shakib Al Hasan -- who had taken a five-wicket haul in the first ODI and was the chief destroyer on Saturday -- will not be playing as he will be away on paternity leave. Opener Anamul Haque will have a chance to shine after he was announced as Shakib's replacement yesterday.

While the absence of Shakib is bound to weaken Bangladesh's bowling line-up, it might also compel some of the others to step-up and give more effort. Although Mustafizur Rahman and Arafat Sunny bowled well on Saturday, they failed to get wickets. With skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza unlikely to bowl 10 overs due to his fitness issues, the onus is likely to be on those two bowlers.

Nasir Hossain, who bowled just three overs in the last game, will definitely get a lot more overs in the absence of Shakib as well.

Bangladesh's team management may look to spice things up a bit by replacing Shakib with leg-spinner Jubair Hossain. In that case there will be an extra bowler to depend on. However, if Shakib is replaced by a batsman then it is likely that Imrul Kayes will come in the eleven.

Imrul, who just a year back was virtually written off limited-overs cricket, will hope to change his fortunes in this series if he gets an opportunity.

The same goes for the other batsmen who failed to perform in the first ODI. The likes of Mahmudullah Riyad and Liton Das will especially want to pull their socks up ahead of today's crucial encounter.

The equation will become a lot more interesting if Mushfiqur Rahim ends up being dismissed for a low score. Can the batters post a defendable target without the influence of their highest run-getters -- Mushfiqur and Soumya Sarkar -- of the year?

Zimbabwe skipper Elton Chigumbura came down hard on his players after their 145-run defeat on Saturday. He criticised his batsmen's technique and believed that it was possible to chase the 270-odd run target set by the hosts.

As Chigumbura said later during that post-match press conference, the visitors still haven't lost hope and are confident that they can eke out a win in the series.

The visitors, despite getting a good start, seemed to be in a hurry while batting and lost their wickets while attempting to hit boundaries. Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, who had a good series the last time he came here, is expected to replace the injured Richmond Mutumbami.