Zimbabwe v Bangladesh: 2nd ODI – Match Preview
Zimbabwe will take on Bangladesh in the second One Day International (ODI) of the five-match series at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe on Sunday, August 14, 2011.
The hosts had won the first match of the series comfortably by four wickets and 52 balls remaining, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series. Both teams also featured in one Test match prior to the ODIs, which was also won by the home team by a solid margin
130 runs.
Harare does not seem to suit the tourists much, as they have been unable to make an impression at the venue in the series until now. However, the second and third ODI will be played at the same venue, giving Bangladesh a chance to turn the tables around.
The pitch in Harare has been good for the batsmen, but has offered some assistance to the seamers. This has left the Bangladesh batsmen struggling to some extent, as they do not like the seaming ball.
The tourists will be hopeful of a better show in today’s game though, as they will expect the pitch to become a touch slower. There has been plenty of cricket played at the venue and the wicket will get slower and slower with the passage of time.
If there is some assistance for the spinner in the pitch, this will allow the Bangladesh spinners to dominate the game just as they did last year, when they hosted Zimbabwe in an ODI series.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahriar-Nafees-c2486 at the top of the order. They have the potential of giving
a solid start to the team, but have not clicked until now.
Tamim’s innings will be most important for the tourists, as he can change the complexion of the game in quick time. The flamboyant batsman has the ability to hit boundaries and has done well at the international arena against top teams as well.
There are a few experienced players in the Bangladeshi middle-order. The most experienced of them all is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Ashraful-c76740, who has proved to be a tremendous talent at his very best.
However, the veteran has struggled to live up to the expectations in the recent past. Apart from him, the team’s skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shakib-Al-Hasan-c89559 has been with the team for quite some time and proved to be one of the best all-rounders in limited-over cricket. He
struck a solid half-century in the first ODI, but lacked support from the other players.
There was some support for Shakib from wicketkeeper batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mushfiqur-Rahim-c2045, who also contributed a half-century for the team. However, the rest of the batting failed miserably, leaving the tourists in a vulnerable position.
On the other hand, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sibanda-c2740.
The hosts lacked fire power in their bowling, but have found some quality fast bowlers, especially http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CB-Mpofu-c1219 and spinner Ray Price.
With the advantage of home conditions and winning momentum, Zimbabwe will certainly start the game as favourites. However, the Bangladesh team has the potential to bounce back strongly in the series and will be eying a solid show in today’s game.
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