Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI, Preview – Chibhabha’s men sail against the tide for redemption

There's no update on Liton Das, who retired hurt after scoring his second ODI ton.

Published - 02 Mar 2020, 13:43 IST | Updated - 02 Mar 2020, 13:43 IST

2 Min Read

Bangladesh raced to their biggest ever ODI victory on Sunday night. Mashrafe Mortaza and Co beat Zimbabwe by a mammoth margin of 169 runs at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Liton Das’ second ODI century set the tone for a massive score after which the middle-order chipped in with short, yet useful scores. The visitors lost wickets regularly and the Tigers kept pushing them back.

It was also a happy return for skipper Mashrafe, who picked up two wickets and completed 700 wickets across formats. He also joined the likes of Wasim Akram, Shaun Pollock and Imran Khan, picking 100 ODI wickets as captain. But his job isn’t over as Bangladesh take the field on Tuesday, March 3 in Sylhet for the second ODI. It goes without saying that the hosts would be starting as favourites.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, looked completely hapless in the series opener. Needless to say, that the African nation needs something spectacular to script a comeback. Since December 2010, Zimbabwe have all their 17 ODIs against the Tigers at the latter’s home. However, the fact that Sean Williams has return after his family commitments would give the visitors a whole lot of confidence.

Team Combination

Bangladesh

Liton Das was hit on the helmet and in the very next over he retired hurt. Das didn’t keep as well, replaced by Mushfiqur Rahim. If Liton doesn’t play, then Mohammad Naim remains to be a choice as a specialist opener. The Tigers’ batting didn’t have much flow after Das sparkled with the century.

Mohammad Mithun got a fifty, but the likes of Shanto, Tamim, Riyad and Rahim need to convert their starts. In bowling, Saifuddin’s confidence would have sky-rocketed after getting three wickets. Mustafizur was economical in his seven overs. Taijul and Mehidy didn’t allow any looseners either.

Probable XI

Liton Das/Mohammad Naim, Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman

Zimbabwe

Sean Williams may replace Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, who couldn’t breach the double-digit mark last time. Wesley Madhevere, the young debutant, didn’t feel the pressure and picked up one wicket apart from scoring 35 off 44. The rest of the batting unit has to go back to the drawing board.

Taylor will be looking to make amends after trying to take on Taijul Islam. The onus will also be on skipper Chamu Chibhabha to get some runs. In bowling, Ainsley Ndlovu can be given a chance in place of Tiripano, who leaked runs at eight. Chris Mpofu was the most successful with two wickets.

Probable XI

Tinashe Kamunhukamwe/Sean Williams, Chamu Chibhabha (C), Regis Chakabva/Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Donald Tiripano/Ainsley Ndlovu, Carl Mumba, Chris Mpofu

Focus will be on

Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)

Mushfiqur Rahim is deemed as a fulcrum of the Bangladesh batting. The Bogra-born is someone, who more or less goes on to score big after getting his eyes in. However, on Sunday, he fell prey to Tiripano while trying to guide the leather down to the third man area. He will be keen to get some big runs. Moreover, he may also need to keep wickets if Das doesn’t get fit for the upcoming game.

Chris Mpofu (Zimbabwe)

Chris Mpofu has been plying his trade for Zimbabwe ever since 2004. Hence, there’s no dearth of experience as far as the speedster is concerned. The veteran has nearly 100 wickets in ODIs and a lot is expected of him. But he wasn’t at his very best in Sylhet as he conceded 68 runs in 10 overs, though he got rid of Mahmudullah and Mithun. He will now wish to work on his economy rate.