In the past four weeks, the Bangladesh national team have lost many things in Zimbabwe. They lost a Test match in four days. They lost two ODIs and the ODI series. They will be losing their captain, Mushfiqur Rahim. To turn the tide, the visitors will look forward to locking horns with Zimbabwe in the first of two T20 matches at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo today. The news of a female garment worker, Reshma, rescued alive from the rubble 408 hours after Rana Plaza building collapsed in Savar reached the Bangladesh the dressing room in Bulawayo yesterday. Millions back in the country are finding inspiration from the news and the same vibe touched the hearts of the cricketers. They are now more hopeful of finishing the tour on a positive note. Today’s game will be only the second between the two sides in this format. The first was won by Bangladesh in Khulna, 2006, by 43 runs. Unlike for the 50-over game, the toss should not be a factor. The game begins at 1:30 in the afternoon, and by that hour, the wicket should be good for batting. Bangladesh will look to openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammed Ashraful to lead the way. Both are fast scoring players, but both are also capable of handling the swinging ball well. Both will be motivated to perform well, after poor showings in the ODIs. Tamim, in particular, is the type of player to be motivated by a big occasion, while Ashraful will need to curb the over-enthusiasm for strokeplay that sometimes overtakes him. With a solid start, the later batsman can feel free to attack. The lower-middle order, who were forced to rescue the batting in the ODIs, will particularly enjoy coming in with runs on the board. Bowlers are said to be the step sons of this format of the game. The batsmen will of course be charging from the word go and the wicket is expected to be flat. So far, the seamers have been holding up the Bangladesh bowling, but in the T20 format, look to the spinners to slow down the scoring with accuracy and deep set fields. Zimbabwe go into the T20s with momentum at their back. The draw in the Test series and the back to back ODI wins has given the side plenty of confidence. They will look to carry on the good work in the last leg of the tour. With the batting firing and the bowling having gained in discipline as the ODI series wore on, the home side will not only want to win, but also shed the tag of “underdogs” when next they meet their arch rivals.
Friday, June 13, 2025
