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Zimbabwe’s quest to write their comeback story in international cricket could be given fresh impetus at Harare Sports Club this afternoon if results go their way in the hunt for a first ever T20I series win over Bangladesh.
The Chevrons desperately need the vibe in their camp to continue, ahead of more challenging assignments against India and Australia later this month and the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October.
But they would need to summon all their powers against the Tigers, who on Sunday halted a rare winning streak of six games that had started at the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier B in Bulawayo recently.
Zimbabwe, who opened this T20I series with a deserved 17-run victory, should be smelling blood after Bangladesh rested some of their key players for this series.
But they would need to sort out the batting which was a huge let down in the previous game, when they lost by seven wickets. The T20I series is delicately balanced at 1-1, going into the third and final encounter.
The Chevrons are aiming to win their first ever T20I series against Bangladesh.
The two countries have played six T20I series since 2006, with Bangladesh winning three while the other three ended in draws.
Head coach Dave Houghton has been impressing upon the Chevrons in the last few weeks the need to reclaim their place in international cricket.
But ahead of the game this afternoon, they would need to fine-tune their batting at the top. With the par score at Harare Sports Club currently around 160, the Chevrons were always going to struggle to defend the low total in the last game after they had stuttered to 135/8 in their 20 overs.
Even the batting heroics of in-from all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who scored brisk half centuries in both games, could not save them, after five of the top six went for single digit scores. Zimbabwe have a competitive batting line-up but they need to avoid throwing away wickets cheaply.
“I still think that even if we do lose two or three wickets, we have got such a good, strong long batting line-up,” concurred skipper Craig Ervine, on the eve of the series.
“It shouldn’t worry us too much and I think that mentality of playing positive fearless cricket, but smart at the same time, goes all the way down. So we have to believe that we can win from any position.”
Ervine feels he owes the team some big contributions, by building on the promise he had during the ICC T20I World Cup qualifier.
“I am always looking to come good. Myself and Regis (Chakabva) have done a great job at the top, getting ourselves to good starts (in Bulawayo), but the disappointing part was that not one of us managed to kick on through to that sort of 12-14 per over where you can really have a go at the back end.
“So leading into this tournament it’s something that we have spoken about and hopefully one of us can bat through because that allows somebody like Raza and all our finishers to come in and play with a huge amount of freedom,” said Ervine.
Bangladesh suffered a setback with news that their skipper Nurul Hasan will be sidelined for three weeks with a finger injury.
Hasan hurt his left index finger while keeping during their seven-wicket triumph over Zimbabwe in the second match on Sunday and will now sit out the series decider at the same venue today.
The 28-year-old will also miss the three-match ODI component of the Zimbabwe tour, with medical staff revealing a three-week recovery period as the best-case scenario for the new T20 captain.
“We did an X-ray which revealed a fracture to the index finger,” Bangladesh physio Muzadded Alpha Sany said.
“Such injuries take about three weeks to recover from. He is therefore out of Tuesday’s last T20 match and the upcoming ODI series.”
Nurul is only two matches into his reign as Bangladesh’s T20I captain. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain captain for the third and final T20I.
Mahmudullah Riyad, who is already in Zimbabwe with the ODI squad, has been named as Hasan’s replacement.
Bangladesh have left out a number of experienced players in the series including Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, while Tamim Iqbal retired from the format recently.
Zimbabwe Cricket have set the ticket prices at US$2 for the rest of the ground, US$3 for the Embankment side and US$5 for the Centurion. Pensioners and children in full school uniforms are set to get in for free. All the supporters attending the games are required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination. Herald
