'Everyone has to chip in to keep winning'
Bangladesh may have won the first ODI convincingly, but they still have a number of areas to work on. Had Zimbabwe taken their chances on the field and Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim perished early, the picture could have been altogether a different one. Mushfiqur was dropped twice while Shakib hit a couple of risky shots in the air.
Their pacers were not up to the mark either, leaking more than 40 runs in the first seven overs. And captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was the first person to admit that the hosts needed improvement.
"We won on the back of two or three performances. The top-order has to score runs. We have to start well with the ball. We have to stop relying on one guy. We have to get out of this mentality. Everyone has to try and contribute," said Mashrafe on his expectations for today's second ODI.
"I myself could not bowl like I wanted to. There must have been a problem somewhere, and I must fix it. I think I was lucky to get two wickets. The team expects much from the pace bowlers," he added.
There were three pacers in the Bangladesh side on Friday and together they bowled a total of 11 overs. With the World Cup knocking at the door this is one area that the Tigers will need to work on.
Al-Amin Hossain, for instance, was torn apart for 21 runs in two overs. The fact that he opted out of the last two Tests could be the reason why he's taking time to adjust; whatever the reason may be, he needs to adjust as soon as possible.
As Mashrafe put it, "There's no room to relax. We have won just one match in the entire year and everyone should try to have either a 50 or two wickets next to his name." The second ODI, which begins an hour early, might be a better day for the bowlers as that reduces the dew-factor in the evening. Bangladesh are unlikely to change the winning combination, going into the match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Zimbabwe, it seemed, went through the motions in the first game. They made better starts than Bangladesh with both the bat and the ball, but at the end of the day did not seem to have the belief.
Their fielding, which was top-class during the Test series, failed in the first ODI. They need to make the most of the half-chances on the field. The good news was that Brendan Taylor returned to form with a half-century on Friday, but they need their other batsmen to fire. However, most importantly, they need to find a way past Shakib.
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