Zimbabwe look for batting lift to level series

OverviewBangladesh v Zimbabwe
2nd ODI
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
Wednesday 24 October, 14:30PM local time, 8:30AM GMT

Zimbabwe were asked to bowl, and with Tendai Chatara striking twice early and Kyle Jarvis picking up three wickets not too long after, Bangladesh looked down for the count at 139/6 in just under 30 overs.

Another wicket there could have done the job for Zimbabwe but, as it turned out, opener Imrul Kayes, who was still in the middle, and Mohammad Saifuddin added 127 for the seventh wicket to change the flow of the game. Kayes’ 144 was a superb innings, and Saifuddin’s 50 was no less important for the team.

That performance with the ball for the first 30 overs was a positive for Zimbabwe. As were the opening stand of 48 between captain Hamilton Masakadza and Cephas Zhuwao and the late fight shown by Sean Williams and Jarvis, who added 67 for the ninth wicket to give Zimbabwe a chance after they had collapsed to 169/8.

“We just need to make sure we win a few more blocks of 10 (overs) than we did today, and push on a little more than we did,” said Masakadza after the game, and that’s bang on. There were good signs for Zimbabwe, and they’ll hope the batting order – full of experience with Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza also there – comes good in the second game.

It’s not too different for Bangladesh despite their 28-run win and 1-0 lead.

Kayes and Saifuddin aside, there was only the 40-ball 37 from Mohammad Mithun that stood out in their batting effort on a tricky pitch. Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan are missing, but Bangladesh will back Mushfiqur Rahim to lead a stronger show in the middle order, something they sorely lacked.

Their bowling, though, was excellent for the most part. Zhuwao scored quickly at the start, but all their bowlers, pacers and spinners, did well to pick up wickets with regularity and keep the scoring in check.

Key players

**Mohammad Saifuddin (Bangladesh):**Kayes was the star, but Saifuddin, in the squad chiefly as a back-up to the injury-prone Mashrafe Mortaza, was outstanding with bat and ball in the first game. His 50 was a stellar effort, and he then conceded just 29 runs from his seven overs of medium pace. He will hope to build on his reputation.

**Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe):**That he can change matches single-handedly was proven during the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. He was out of the picture after that, but has come back, and was off his best in the first ODI, giving away 37 runs in six overs and then scoring a 22-ball 7. He can be much better than that, and Zimbabwe will need him to be at his best.

Conditions

The forecast is good, with sunny skies and temperatures around 30ºC. There hasn’t been any ODI cricket in Chittagong for a while, but it was a batters’ paradise when Bangladesh played Sri Lanka in a Test match earlier this year, with the combined scoreboard reading 1533/24. It was a draw, needless to say, but if the pitch is similar, this should be a big-scoring game.

Squads

**Bangladesh:**Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Fazle Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Ariful Haque, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nazmul Islam

**Zimbabwe:**Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Peter Moor, Tarisai Musakanda, Richard Ngarava, John Nyumbu, Donald Tiripano, Cephas Zhuwao