Bangladesh are the favourites, but they should not take Zimbabwe lightly

Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore with his players at the practice session at Sher-E-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Mirpur

When the Australians postponed their scheduled tour last month, the mood in the cricket fraternity of Bangladesh was doleful and disquieted. The much anticipation regarding the eagerly awaited series was dashed by Cricket Australia’s (CA) shocking decision.

CA’s decision hurts because the law and order and political situation of Bangladesh was not at its worst, not as bad as to require calling off of a tour. CA’s withdrawal from the tour dished out a tougher challenge for the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

When teams like Australia and England deny to tour a country citing security reasons, it automatically dents the image of the host country and makes others think twice before touring. Nazmul Hassan was not to give up easily but accepted the challenge of putting up the image of Bangladesh in the most appropriate manner.

How the tables have turned on Bangladesh and Zimbabwe

BCB contracted Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and brought their expected tour forward in November. The Bangladesh-Zimbabwe series was originally scheduled for January 2016, when the sides were supposed to play two Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s. But after Australia postponed their tour earlier this month, Nazmul Hassan convinced ZC about the tour.

Zimbabwe responded well and agreed to tour Bangladesh and their friendly gesture amid this crisis situation demands enough respect.

Retirements of the past greats and political turmoil have affected the prosperity of cricket in Zimbabwe. In the 90s and early 2000s, Zimbabwe were among the most feared teams in world cricket. Cricketers like Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Raymond Price, Alastair Campbell and co made Zimbabwe an extremely competitive side, both in one-day and Test formats and at one point, even teams like Pakistan, India and England felt the heat of their passion and determination to win. And, in those days, Bangladesh’s experience against Zimbabwe was not very heartening.

Any match against Bangladesh was a cakewalk for Zimbabwe, but in the course of time, Zimbabwe lost their vigor and vim and at the moment, it’s the Tigers who rule the roost. So far, Bangladesh have played 64 ODIs against Zimbabwe and won 36 times. At home, Bangladesh have been a dominating force against their archrivals.

Till the third ODI match against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2005, Zimbabwe’s ODI record in Bangladesh had been 100%. But, since that memorable turn around in the third ODI, Bangladesh’s dominance against Zimbabwe became an established fact. So far, Bangladesh have played 33 ODI matches against Zimbabwe at home and won 22 of them – quite a brilliant achievement.

Proving a point, not just fulfilling a promise

Above all, in 2015, Bangladesh’s performance have been staggering enough, which have made them one of the most entertaining sides in the limited-overs format. Brilliant performances in the ICC World Cup, ODI series against Pakistan, India and South Africa have taken Bangladesh cricket to a new height; considering their recent form, the one-day series against Zimbabwe should have a foregone conclusion in favour of the Tigers.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s recent performance against Afghanistan was shoddy. They went on to lose both the ODI and Twenty20 series, which doesn’t give the impression that they will be able to fare well against a spirited Bangladesh unit. But, the hunger and determination of the Zimbabwean team must not be taken lightly.

Since Dav Whatmore became the coach of Zimbabwe, they have hinted at signs of improvement. There had been brilliant individual performances, but the fighting displays hardly converted into victories. Players like Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Elton Chugumbura have been inspiring and great motivators for the youngsters in the team. He has instilled the positive intent among his men, which is expected to be effective in the course of time.

Moreover, Whatmore knows Bangladesh cricket very well and is well aware about the Tigers’ strength and weaknesses. And in that sense, Bangladesh need to be careful about the Whatmore factor more than the Zimbabwe cricket team.

The visitors have started the tour with a bang by thrashing the BCB XI by seven wickets in the warm-up match in Fatullah. It was won in the most comprehensive manner and conveyed the Tigers the message that they are here to prove a point and not just fulfill a promise.

At the moment, the Bangladesh cricket fraternity is too busy with the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, which has almost overshadowed the importance of an international fixture. Surely, Bangladesh will start the ODI series as the overwhelming favorites, but if they remain over-confident and take the Zimbabwe for granted, then it will not take time to digest a shocking defeat against Whatmore’s men.