Bangladesh will take on Zimbabwe in the first T20 of the two-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla International Stadium in Mirpur Dhaka on Friday.
They completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep against Zimbabwe on Wednesday. The visiting team were completely outplayed in all the three ODIs leaving them jolted, ahead of the upcoming ICC World T20 2016, which will be held in India in March.
Bangladesh maintained their ODI dominance on home soil yet again after defeating Zimbabwe in the 50-over format. They have now won 12 ODIs in this calendar year, which itself portrays their prowess.
Earlier this year, they outclassed Pakistan and then went on to defeat India as well. And now it was Zimbabwe's turn to face the wrath of the Bangla Tigers.
Mustafizur Rahman, a name that instilled fear in the minds of the Indian batsmen during the ODI and the T20 series earlier this year, came into the limelight yet again after registering a five-for against Zimbabwe in the third and final ODI, which the hosts won by 61 runs.
Rahman bowled at the no.11 batsman with nine fielders behind the stumps and that was a picture, which many other teams would not even imagine in the sub-continent.
Tamim Iqbal and Imruk Kayes did a good job, opening the batting for Bangladesh. Iqbal was named the man of the match in the third ODI for his gritty knock of 73 runs. Soumya Sarkar's absence was not felt because Kayes has done his part as well and both Kayes and Iqbal will be looking forward to emulate similar performances in the forthcoming T20 series.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe have a lot to worry about. Apart from their skipper Elton Chigumbura, no other batsmen could withstand the pressure exerted by the Bangladeshi bowlers and as a result, they ended up throwing away their wickets at regular intervals.
Chigumbura & Co. will be looking forward to bounce back in the upcoming T20 series and it is evident that the visitors are desperate in search of a win in this tour.
Expected lineups:
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Jubair Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Litton Das, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal.
Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (C), Regis Chakabva, Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva, Wellington Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami, Taurai Muzarabani, Tinashe Panyangara, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.
Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 1st T20 schedule:
Date - 13 November
Time - 5:00 pm IST (11:30 am GMT, 4:30 pm local time)
Venue - Sher-e-Bangla International Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka.
TV Listings - There will be no live coverage of the match in India. Viewers in Bangladesh can watch the 1st T20 live on Gazi TV and fans in Zimbabwe can tune into Ten Sports.
