Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, Only Test | Day 2 Review

Well it was a much better day for Bangladesh. After a tough first day where the tigers only smiled twice, it was a great comeback. It was the bowling attack that brought Tigers back to game. The bowlers were complete contrast from yesterday where the performance is concerned. Yesterday the seamers and spinners failed to bowl a consistent line and gave too many short deliveries. However in day 2, they were much better from the very first bowl. Seamers were bowling much better line and length more consistently. Some credit also goes to Shakib. He gave the seamers enough time to settle in and set up tight fields rather than defensive ones like day 1. Shakib finally came to the realization that there is another all rounder in the team who should be given a chance. After a break-through, he finally brought in Mahmudullah Riyad who struck right away at his second over. 2 quick wickets were enough to shift the momentum right onto Bangladesh's direction. After that, not much went right for Zimbabwe. Even though they posted a very good total at their first test after six years, that collapse helped Bangladesh regroup. From 304/2 to 370 all out is certainly a remarkable feat for Bangladeshi bowling attack.

With a big score to cross, the tigers came down to bat with half the day to go. The start was no joy for Bangladeshi fans. Imrul Kayes who has been having a good ODI streak failed to perform yet again in test cricket. Tamim Iqbal, the best test batsman in Bangladeshi line up also fell quick. Even though it came as a big disappointment for the fans who were hoping for some fireworks, this wasn't unpredictable. It wouldn't be wrong to sympathize with him as he recovered from an injury and missed every single practice match. So with 2 down early and a long way to go, the fans found themselves looking at 2 of the most experienced players playing together quite well. Shahriar Nafees despite of some lives, managed to comeback well onto test cricket with a steady and sensible 50 before falling to Raymond Price on a very unlucky occasion.
Neither the collapse nor the 50 by Nafees were the biggest attraction. The biggest attraction was to see Mohammed Ashraful bat. One would need an incredible memory or statguru to remember when was the last time this guy perform in any format let alone test. With criticism all over the place regarding his inclusion in the team, he faced yet another match with great pressure and only a one way out. However, this time Ashraful did not fail. While an unbeaten 34 is nothing to party about, its still a great improvement for him. Whats more, he took his time rather than his usual aggressive nature and looked very determined. His batting had very flaws and thats what matters the most. With 3 down with a score over 100, Bangladesh still have a long way to go before they can take control of the game. Ashraful, Mahmudullah, Shakib, Mushfiq are 4 batsmen left and together they must put a combined effort of at least 200 more runs to even things out.

For Day 3, the goal should be to bat all the way through. The rookie Brain Vitori from Zimbabwe looked very strong against the left handers but weren't much of a concern for right handers. As both the batsmen on field are right handers, the longer they can play, the better it will be. Riyad is an excellent test batsman who had a great last year, so the fans would be hoping for a continuation of that. If other batsmen can avoid a collapse and build steady, the tailenders and Shakib can boost the run on what is becoming an excellent batting surface.

Bangladesh will feel comfortable now knowing that the surface has a good amount of turn. If they can stay alive in the game when Zimbabwe bats for the second time, they will have the edge to win this match. With Razzaq and Shakib leading the spin attack, Riyad can also be a wicket taker and Ashraful has the ability to make the bowl turn quite a bit.

From 264/2 yesterday, its very incredible to be able to say, "Bangladesh is back on game" and the fans wouldnt be wrong to hope for a win! This is why test cricket is the best version out of all.

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Bangladesh Vs Zimbabwe Day 1 Report and Thoughts

Day 1 report:

It was a poor comeback for Bangladesh after a 14 month break from the toughest format of cricket. Having won the toss, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan sent Zimbabwe to bat. Good decision though it was, it completely backfired on Bangladesh as day progressed. Shakib relied on an inexperienced seam attack to give him the edge. The pacers early on failed to utilize the new ball and the favourable surface. The dropped catch and a missed run out only added insult to injury. Their countless poor deliveries allowed Zimbabwean openers to get off to a solid start. Even the 2 wickets were more of a Batsman's fault rather than bowlers feat. To add more, Shakib's captaincy did not make any sense to anyone but himself. It is difficult to decide which decisions were worst. Him taking of Robiul, bringing spin from both sides on a seam friendly wicket, not bringing spin at second session early enough, defensive fielding, all these were questionable where Shakib does not have any answers for. For Zimbabwe, it is the beyond perfect return into test. Even if they lose now, they have managed to made the impression that their players have the skills to play test cricket. So far Bangladesh is short on that.

If Bangladesh wants to win this, it’s still not late at all! 264 is not a huge total even with only 2 down. This is 5 days game and 4 more days to be played. If Bangladesh can get out Zimbabwe in first 2 sessions under a score of 400, they can still come back with strong batting and then things will even out for the last innings for each time. Time will not be a factor as our batting line up is fairly aggressive with the bat and this 264 could be achieved in 2 sessions if Tamim gets his big guns going. However, the target should not be to win at this point. Bangladesh is also under the microscope and they also need to prove their temperament to play test cricket. If the batsmen can bat 120+ overs but the game ends up in a draw, it won’t be a bad outcome. It is possible for the critic to sympathize with the poor bowling attack given the fact that both top pacers Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain is missing. Another experienced bowler Syed Rasel is also missing. However, it would be nothing short of a sin if Bangladesh failed to outscore Zimbabwe in terms of batting. Armed with Tamim, Imrul, Nafees, Shakib, Riyad, Ashraful, Mushfiq, their batting lineup has more skills, experience and depth than Zimbabwe batting attack. They will have to avoid a collapse at any rate and build a good total. The surface would be excellent for batting for next 2 days so it is only fair to expect a great batting performance in contrast to the practice match.

To the fans that gave up hope,
Recall the first ever test match by Bangladesh. Having scored 400 in the first innings, they still lost the match by a big margin. So Anything is possible!

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Bangladesh Vs Zimbabwe Only Test Preview

Location: Harare Sports Ground
Time: 09:30 local | 07:30 GMT | 13:30 BDT
Date: August 4th, 2011
Average temperature: 9- 24 Celsius



So here I am back to writing previews for matches. It’s been a long break for the Tigers and for the fans like me since the last ODI against the Aussies back in April. It’s been even longer for test lovers like me since the last time we saw our boys in all white. But now it all comes down to this single test. Will Bangladesh finally win a test match and stop those Cricket Gurus wondering or will Zimbabwe return in style and restore their honour as a test nation? The rivalry is about to get tougher that’s for sure!

Team News
Bangladesh:

After such a long break from ODI cricket and the longest break since the last test, Bangladesh don’t have much to be assured of. With new players making debuts and old players trying to make a comeback, our squad is full of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes. With a completely new coaching staff who barely got time to say “hi”, the situation does not get better at all. The batting attack looked promising until two big collapses against a second string Zimbabwe in the practice match. The bowling on the other hand looked much better and the absence of Shahadat and Mashrafe might not be the death factor anymore.
Some fans might feel very unsecured given the loss in the practice match however, they also have to take into consideration the 42 hours journey to the African land right before the match. The players were undoubtedly exhausted and still adapting to the cold weather. All these factors contributed to the loss. The vice-captain and dashing opener Tamim Iqbal was also absent from the much because of his recovery from a slight injury. But that’s all for excuses! Bangladesh will need to brace themselves against a seam attack at a seam friendly condition. This is in contrast to the surface and situation they face in home. On the other hand, the seamers from Bangladesh will need to make supreme effort because spinners won’t enjoy the luxury of a spin wicket anymore. Although, Zimbabwe does have a huge weakness against spin attack but that might not be effective until the second innings or after 3 days of cricket. So if the pacers can restrict the Zimbabwean batting attack under 250, the spinners will be able to do the rest in the second. For our batting, they must bat as long as possible. The score isn’t a prime target anymore. Bangladesh batting line up have a point to make to the critic world that they have the maturity, temperament to play test cricket. In order to accomplish that, they must bat at least 150 overs. Even though Bangladesh is the favourite, they are not far ahead from Zimbabwe calculating every factor.

Zimbabwe
First of all, welcome back to test cricket. Their exile from this important format has been nothing but pain for their supporters. But past is past. Now they are back in full swing. With Taylor leading the way, Zimbabwe has a great opportunity to comeback with a win. The surface, weather, venue everything favouring them, it will only take mental toughness and correct execution of skills to pull them through. The line-up needs to forget the fact that they did not play test cricket for long and Bangladesh are the favourites. If they can do that, they will have the killer instinct more than Bangladesh will. Having a promising bowling attack, their batting attack is a growing concern. Even from a neutral perspective, their batting is not test ready at all. For Bangladesh, their problem is consistency because they have talented players that certainly have the temperament and skills for the format. For Zimbabwe, they might have the talent but they are far from proving it. However, if they can post a combined score of 450, they will certainly have a good chance and it will be a reasonable start. The coaching staff would be working on ensuring those mistakes and poor display against Australian A does not get repeated because the critic world would have the microscope on this team as well as Bangladesh.

Playing XI:

Bangladesh

With no Mashrafe, Shahadat, their pace attack lacks that experience and killer instinct. But that also means, they have a chance to try some of the newer players and maybe have an X factor. With 3 pacers a must, it would even be better to play all 4 pacers available to form a strong attack. With Rubel bringing the pace, Shafiul and Robiul will work out their swing and Nazmul putting the opponent under pressure with his controlled bowling. A chance for Nazmul is a long overdue as he gets benched way too often without a valid reason. He can be deadly with his slow deliveries and on this surface, he can certainly be effective. He also remains the most experienced against Zimbabwe out of all pacers remaining. Even though Razzaq was never a test material, for the spin attack he is the only one available other than Shakib. His “wow” factor and fire hot streak against Zimbabwe could give him the edge if he can adapt to longer format quicker. Shakib will also need to continue his good performance in test cricket as a bowler but after such a long break and a busy T20 schedule this year, one can only hope for the best. Mahmudullah Riyad can provide back up if needed but if Bangladesh have to go up to Mahmudullah to stop the opposition, the chances wont be high. For batting attack, one comment can summarize the whole attack. “No Ashraful” Even though he is still a legend for the Tigers, he just does not have the temperament, skills required and consistency to appear in white jerseys. Any other batsmen would only be better. His inclusion in the team makes the whole batting attack look more inconsistent than it is. Tamim, the superstar in tests last year, will have his chance to shine again. If he can settle in, he can accomplish anything, almost any record. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss the opportunity. Players like Mahmudullah Riyad, Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim will have to make a much better effort in the actual test than the practice match. They certainly have the talent and temperament to go big. They only need to start well. For the rookies, Shuvogoto Hom and Nasir Hossain, both are promising and it cannot be a loss to add either or both of them, but perhaps it would be wise to observe for now rather than take the heat. So my playing XI becomes,

Tamim Iqbal
Junaid Siddique
Shahriar Nafees
Shakib Al Hasan
Mahmudullah Riyad
Mushfiqur Rahim
Abdur Razzaq/ Nasir Hossain
Shafiul Islam
Nazmul Hossain
Rubel Hossain
Robiul Islam

For me, no point taking 8 batsmen if 5 of them can’t even make it to double digits!

Zimbabwe:

For the eagles, they have a much controlled squad for past few years. They don’t have much option outside the current pool nor is it advisable to bring any for this crucial clash. The best thing to do would be play a healthy number of seamers and the best batsmen on line. Taylor, Sibanda, Masakadza and Taibu will need to lead the batting because they are best ones the team has. For bowling, Mpofu, the new and promising Vitori, Experienced Ray Price and Elton Chigumbura will lead the bowling. It is not that difficult to predict their starting line up on the 4th.
Tino Mawoyo
Vusi Sibanda
Hamilton Masakadza
Brendan Taylor (capt)
Tatenda Taibu (wk)
Ray Price
Craig Ervine
Elton Chigumbura
Brian Vitori
Chris Mpofu
Keegan Meth

Players to watch out for!

Shafiul Islam: After an unsuccessful world cup campaign followed by the tough Aussie series, Shafiul is set to make a comeback. He is certainly the best seamer in the Tigers line up at the moment. His good performance against Zimbabwe A team shows hope. When this guy is confident, he can get anybody out of the way. His aggressive bowling can be deadly against Zimbabwe at the condition that favours it. His excellent swingers could very well bag a lot of wickets. If Shakib uses him well, expect a lot of wickets from this guy early on in the innings. Not only with the bowl but recently he has shown great qualities as a lower order batsmen. He can certainly bring some quick runs with the bat!

Brian Vitori: The only player in the Zimbabwe team without any experience, he will be an X factor for Zimbabwe. He already received numerous praises from the Australian A coaching department, his own coach Cambell is also confident in his abilities. Once again with a wonderful seaming pitch, he can be very effective against the Bangladesh side that are totally inexperienced in facing him.

Toss Given the shaky batting attack for Bangladesh, it would be better if they are not put on test right away. Also given the condition where the mornings are a bit cold, the bowlers would do better than batsmen early on. So, win the toss, and it's bowl first from me!

 

By Rinat Haque

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