Bangladesh will be facing Zimbabwe in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla International Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on 9 November, Monday.
The Bangla Tigers registered a huge victory over Zimbabwe in the first ODI by 145 runs; courtesy a brilliant century from Mushfiqur Rahim and later on a sublime spell of spin bowling from the vice-captain Shakib Al Hasan, who picked up five for 47.
Bangladesh will be eyeing to wrap up the ODI series against Zimbabwe on Monday and continue with their dream run at home in the 50-over format. None of the visiting teams have managed to outclass Bangladesh in any of the ODI series they have played since February 2014.
Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will be without the service of Shakib Al Hasan who has flown to USA to be with his wife as she is about to give birth to their first child. Anamul Haque has been named as the replacement for the vice-captain.
If Bangladesh can manage to seal this series on Monday, then this will be their ninth bilateral series win over Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe pacers Tinashe Panyangara and Graeme Cremer were bowling well until Rahim's willow did the talking. Visitors were never in charge of the game after the first hour and looked hapless until the end of the match. Skipper Elton Chigumbura will be their only ray of hope in the second ODI as he turned out to be the only batsman to cross the 40-run mark during the first game at Mirpur.
Bangladesh's opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has requested his fellow batsmen to stay put at the crease once set and not throw away their wickets like they did in the first ODI. That adds a lot of pressure in the middle and the lower-middle order. Had Rahim not added 119 runs in the fifth wicket with Sabbir Rahman, then Bangladesh would have been in trouble.
"It is good for the team that someone comes up with a big score. But none of us should think about it. I got out for 40 and then what if Sabbir Rahman and Mushfiqur didn't do well? The question would have been different. Whoever gets set, should try to score big. It shouldn't be left to others," Iqbal told the mediapersons ahead of the second ODI in Mirpur.
"My dismissal wasn't great. I was set. I should have batted longer. I was doing what I wanted but my application, in that delivery, wasn't correct. I was trying to hit the ball over cover but I ended up playing that way [long-on]. It was a mistake. I have to start from zero in the next match. I was on 40 yesterday so in that regard, it was a big miss. I wasn't scoring freely at the time of my dismissal but I could have covered it. I will try to play a bigger innings tomorrow."
Expected lineups:
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.
Zimbabwe: Chamu Chibhabha, Luke Jongwe, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Sikandar Raza, Elton Chigumbura (C), Regis Chakabva (wk), Graeme Cremer, Tinashe Panyangara, Taurai Muzarabani.
Where to watch live:
The second ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe is scheduled for a 1:00 pm local time (12:30 pm IST, 7 am GMT & 9 am Zimbabwe Time) start. There will be no live coverage of the game in India and the live streaming option is also not available.
Viewers in Bangladesh can watch the 2nd ODI live on Gazi TV.
Audience watching the game in the US can catch the action live on Willow TV, while Willow TV Online will provide the live stream option.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa will be able to watch India vs Bangladesh live on OSN Sports 4 and HD 4, while the match can be live streamed on OSN Play.
Folks in Zimbabwe can also catch the live action of the 2nd ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on Ten Sports.
