Zimbabwe has been famous for being the underdogs for the longest time ever. There was a time when Zimbabwe would play against any side and they might surprise with an upset. Whereas, there existed a time when Bangladesh was innocent cubs and anyone who played
against them were bound to be victorious.
How times change, and how the “taglines” of the two teams reversed. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 has now become a new force in the cricket world as the year 2010 saw the Tigers roaring their way to success. On the other hand, Zimbabwe has been swinging back and forth to occasional
wins and many losses throughout the year.
Bangladesh and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 has a history of matches together as the minnows countries were thrown against each other year after year. The calendar year of 2009 saw the teams clashing it out in 14 One Day internationals with Bangladesh winning 10 out of them.
The rise of Bangladesh followed these wins as they registered one of the hugest upsets of limited format matches when they won the ODI series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mashrafe-Mortaza-c1917 who struggled with
injuries. They went on a winning rampage as they whitewashed the series 4-0 against the Black Caps.
However, now the Bangla men are in full throttle as their opener Iqbal has fully recovered from a wrist injury and Mortaza, battling with a strain ankle, are back in the team. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had a “selection dilemma” as the top players are
fit to play and he recent play of the team also needed to be considered.
The first ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe would be played Wednesday morning at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
The Tigers camp will be headed by a not so happy captain, Shakib Al http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hasan-c61990 who successfully led his team against the Kiwis. He was not willing to take up the job but the selectors budged in as they needed to analyse the prospects of Hasan for the World Cup.
Hasan has an impressive all round record and if his stint against the Kiwis is anything to go by, then the Tigers look in a comfortable position. He would be the most prolific player and surely all eyes would be on him as to how he showcases his natural
leadership qualities.
The Zimbabwean batsmen would also be facing a fearful challenge as Hasan’s spin attack would be roughening them up in the first Test match.
The squad also features Imrul Kayes who had recently performed impressively in the domestic One Day cricket league whereas Mohammad Ashraful who led a second string side in the Asian Games 2010 to bag the first gold medal for the country.
Zimbabwe, headed by Coach Alan http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Butcher-c48849 is all set to aim for a success in the tour. First choice seamers Keegan Meth and Ian Nicholson are recalled in the team with Chris Mpofu and Shingirai Masakadza are the players to watch out for as they struggle to
confirm a place in the World Cup squad.
Zimbabwe has always restricted themselves due to an inexperienced batting line up but http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Elton-Chigumbura-c55937 will be working overtime to boost up the morale of the team.
However, Zimbabwe already succumbed to a loss in a warm up game as they faced a resilient performance by BCB’s XI. Yet, the Zimbabweans are remaining positive for tomorrow’s game and it would be interesting to see how the underdogs perform against the Tigers.
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