Tigers looking to seal series today
Hosts Bangladesh will be desperate to secure the series when they take on Zimbabwe in the second of the three-match ODI series at Sylhet International Stadium today. The match is scheduled to start at 1:00pm.
Following the 169-run win – Bangladesh's biggest in ODIs -- in the first ODI on Sunday Bangladesh will be oozing with confidence and will look to continue the right kind of attitude to improve their skills.
It will not just be about winning the game against a weaker and less experienced opposition side ranked 12th in the world in ODIs; instead head coach Russell Domingo's charges will look to display a commanding approach to show the difference between the two sides.
Things have not gone well for the Tigers since the eighth-place finish in the 10-team ICC World Cup in England last year, which was followed by a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka. It will be important for the Tigers to have the right frame of mind and to have the right processes in place, keeping the future in mind.
A win in the second game today can make the occasion special as it will be the 100th victory for veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who has been playing ODIs for Bangladesh since August 2006.
In the first ODI, Bangladesh were boosted by opener Liton Das's dominant century and a collective approach from the others and posted their highest ever ODI total against Zimbabwe of 321 for six.
The Bangladesh bowlers then followed it up with a clinical bowling performance, with young seam-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin picking up three wickets after a 15-ball 28 cameo, during which he displayed his big-hitting abilities.
Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who had all the focus on him ahead of the series as he had been going through a lean patch that saw him take just one wicket in eight World Cup games last year, made a good comeback, which would be a great relief for everyone involved with Bangladesh cricket.
The 36-year-old picked up two wickets, and with the second he became only the fifth bowler to bag 100 ODI wickets as a captain after Shaun Pollock, Wasim Akram, Jason Holder and Imran Khan.
Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz also bagged two scalps as Zimbabwe were bundled out for a mere 152 runs.
For Zimbabwe it will be a daunting task yet again and skipper Chamu Chibhabha will have to correct course to break a 14-match losing streak against Bangladesh.
With experienced campaigners in Sean Williams and Craig Ervine set to come back into the playing eleven, the side will surely gain some strength today.
Zimbabwe, in the first ODI, were depleted as Ervine was ruled out with flu while Williams could not report to the team early enough to be ready for the game.
Regular Zimbabwe captain Williams had opted sit out the one-off Test and was supposed to join the team in Sylhet ahead of the ODI series.
Zimbabwe's bowling lacked the bite in the first game, while it was equally frustrating that none of the batsmen were able to show any resistance apart from 19-year-old Wesley Madhevere on his debut.
The low turnout in Sylhet in the first game also remained a topic of discussion as the north-eastern city is hosting their first full-fledged international series.