With the Asia Cup T20 looming and a World T20 to follow, Bangladesh will take on Zimbabwe in the first of a four-match Twenty20 international series in Khulna on Friday.
The match will start at 3 pm local time (9 am GMT) at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.
The four-match T20 series between the two sides will give them a chance to try out new combinations. Hosts Bangladesh are keen to identify a settled combination. Zimbabwe, after losing four successive limited-overs series against Afghanistan, will also look to build for the World T20.
The two sides have met on five previous occasions with Bangladesh winning three of those matches. Neither team has a good record in T20 internationals, a discrepancy that needs correction. Bangladesh had lost their last T20, against Zimbabwe in November from a winning position.
The match will start at 3 pm local time (9 am GMT) at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.
The four-match T20 series between the two sides will give them a chance to try out new combinations. Hosts Bangladesh are keen to identify a settled combination. Zimbabwe, after losing four successive limited-overs series against Afghanistan, will also look to build for the World T20.
The two sides have met on five previous occasions with Bangladesh winning three of those matches. Neither team has a good record in T20 internationals, a discrepancy that needs correction. Bangladesh had lost their last T20, against Zimbabwe in November from a winning position.
Bangladesh’s progress as an ODI team over the last year has been phenomenal, and it would like to replicate the formula in the game’s shortest format.
Bangladesh`s last T20 win against a top side was against Pakistan in April last year. Hathurusingha said that he wanted his players to understand their roles, especially on the batting front.
The return of Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar will ease Bangladesh`s concerns about building a settled combination. Shakib had gone on paternity leave and missed the last two T20s against Zimbabwe while Sarkar missed both the ODIs and T20s because of a side strain.
Eyes will be on the returning duo how they deliver and complement the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim and others could set the template that Bangladesh would carry over to India for the big tournament.
While Mustafizur Rahim was Bangladesh’s find last year, newcomer Abu Hider will be under focus during this series, having bowled Comilla Victorians to the title in the last Bangladesh Premier League with 21 wickets.
Zimbabwe’s biggest concern has been its lack of consistency, which was exposed during its recent One-Day International and T20I series losses to Afghanistan in Sharjah.
Zimbabwe clearly missed the services of Tinashe Panyangara, who continues to be out of the team because of an injury. The team, however, has shown that when it comes together as a unit, it could be a potent force, like in a T20I win over India and an ODI win over New Zealand at home last year.
Zimbabwe have included Vusi Sibanda and Brian Vitori for the series, and Sean Williams, who could not play in the series against Afghanistan because of a groin injury, is also in the squad.
Bangladesh`s leading electronics brand Walton is the title sponsor for the series while Marcel, another renowned brand of Bangladesh`s electronics products emerged as the powered by sponsor.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Arafat Sunny, Nurul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain.
Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Malcolm Waller, Peter Moor, Hamilton Masakadza, Wellington Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Neville Madziva, Vusi Sibanda, Brian Vitori, Luke Jongwe, Taurai Muzarabani, Tendai Chisoro.
