Will colour change Tigers' fortunes?
A lot will depend on the mental strength of the visiting Bangladesh team following their disastrous Test series defeat as the Tigers will look to gain some confidence in their favourite format when they take on West Indies in the first of a three-match ODI series in Guyana today.
The match will get underway at 7:30pm Bangladesh time.
This will be the second series in the fifty-over format this year for both teams. Bangladesh lost in the final of the tri-nation, also involving Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, at home in January while West Indies managed to finish runners-up in the ICC World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March.
It will be important for inspirational skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to regroup his teammates after the Test debacle, but the onus will also be on seniors like Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad to step up.
Some good news for the visitors is the inclusion of pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who missed the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the Test series against the West Indies due to a toe injury.
Mashrafe will spearhead the pace bowling department, with Mustafizur and Rubel Hossain likely to be the next two options. The team management will, however, have to decide between Abu Hider and Abu Jayed, with the latter proving impressive in the Test series, if there is a case for a fourth seamer.
"The West Indies top order can go hard from the start but we have to be positive and do what we can as well as obviously bowl at the right areas and according to their weaknesses. Hopefully if we can remove their top order early it will be fun. I played here a long time back in 2007 but I think 260-280 can be a good score," said Mashrafe yesterday.
Shakib will take charge of the spin bowling department alongside another left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam, who has been able to keep things tight in the T20 format recently. The man famous for his 'Nagin Dance' celebration, is expected make his ODI debut.
However, it will be important for the likes of Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain to stand up and be counted in their specific roles.
West Indies, on the other hand, will be beaming with confidence after the Test series, even though they have made a few changes from the previous ODI side which played the ICC qualifiers.
Big-hitter Chris Gayle will be partnered up front by the young Evin Lewis to start the fireworks while Russell and Rovman Powell can bludgeon the bowling down the order.
However, the weather in Guyana can play its part as rain is the forecast for today while the pitch is expected to be on the slower side.c
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