Deadline: September 13, 2019 at 6 PM IST
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
Pitch report
The pitch at Shere Bangla National Stadium is as flat as you get, maintaining its firmness throughout the game. For that matter, a target — no matter how big or small — has been chased down 8 times in the last 11 matches.
Weather forecast
Rain might put a dampener on the tri-series opener. The precipitation reads 100%, making it a start-stop contest.
Teams
Probable XI for Bangladesh: Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Yeasin Arafat, Taijul Islam (c), Mustafizur Rahman
Probable XI for Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor (wk), Hamilton Masakadza (c), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Ryan Burl, Kyle Jarvis, Richmond Mutumbami, Chris Mpofu, Neville Madziva, Tendai Chatara
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, pitch report, and credit points.
You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ names to get the data while making your fantasy team.
My 11: Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Sean Williams (vc), Hamilton Masakadza, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mohammad Saifuddin, Neville Madziva, Mustafizur Rahman, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara
Tip: Given it will be a rain-interrupted contest, make sure you pick most batsmen from the team batting first. You never know how many overs will the match be reduced to, in the second innings.
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Match prediction
In the 9 T20Is between these teams, Bangladesh have won 5 and Zimbabwe 4.
So ordinary Zimbabwe have been of late that their win against Ireland in July ended their 12-match draught. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have not been a force either in the shortest format. They have won a mere 26 of 85 T20Is.
All said and done, Bangladesh boast of a better — if not a quality — team than Zimbabwe.
Players to watch out for
Hamilton Masakadza’s highest score (93*) in the format came against Bangladesh in 2016. He was the highest run-scorer in the four-T20I series, collecting 222 runs at 74.
Shakib Al Hasan, one of the stars of the 2019 World Cup, will be back in the coloured clothing. Scoring runs and taking wickets might as well help him get over the Test loss against Afghanistan.
Sean Williams has been in an impressive form lately, scoring 3 fifties in his last 4 international games. In the warm-up game against BCB XI, he shone with the ball, registering figures of 3 for 18.
Mustafizur Rahman has been a stellar performer for Bangladesh in T20Is. He has sniped 48 wickets in 30 matches at a terrific average of 17.6. His death-bowling skills especially will be key to Bangladesh’s success.
Squads
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Yeasin Arafat
Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza (c), Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Ryan Burl, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Tony Munyonga, Regis Chakabva, Richmond Mutumbami, Brendan Taylor (wk), Neville Madziva, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Ainsley Ndlovu
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