Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are anticipated to play another close Test match in Chattogram following the suspenseful match in Sylhet. With the exception of the final hour on the fourth day, Zimbabwe retained the majority of the control over the Sylhet game. Bangladesh is under tremendous pressure to avoid losing the series, and they just didn’t have enough to play with.
Zimbabwe’s good position in Sylhet was largely due to their outstanding bowling lineup, especially the speed attack. A blessing With career-best match stats of 9 for 122, Muzarabani was the obvious spearhead of the assault, but Bangladesh was taken aback by the remainder of the attack. Wellington Masakadza and Wessly Madhevere kept the lower order from settling, while Richard Ngarava and Victor Nyauchi were unrelenting.
However, they would be somewhat concerned about their batting. They had to rely on lower-order runs aside from two fifties from Brian Bennett and a half-century from Sean Williams in the first innings. The team will also be concerned about Nyasha Mayavo’s wicketkeeping after he missed several easy wickets.
However, Bangladesh’s issues are more serious, especially with their batting lineup. It has been over two years since their openers scored a century each or formed a century stand. Mominul Haque hasn’t had a major one since their trip of India, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto isn’t staying long enough.
Since the veteran hasn’t scored a fifty in the previous twelve innings, the management of the squad is plagued by the Mushfiqur Rahim conundrum. In addition, Jaker Ali has already scored fifty runs in each of his first four Test matches, indicating that he should be promoted because he typically bats with the tail.
Bangladesh’s bowling assault is consequently responsible for winning in Chattogram. Nahid Rana has departed for the PSL, therefore they are without him. Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who took ten wickets in Sylhet, are the primary spinners, while Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed could bring in Tanzim Hasan as the third seamer. To give Bangladesh a chance, Mehidy and Taijul will need to perform better early in the match.
Brian Bennett and Mushfiqur Rahim are in the spotlight.
Mushfiqur Rahim is under pressure now that his lean patch has lasted 12 innings. The 191 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi was his most recent significant contribution, but it was eight months ago. He was out cheaply twice in the Sylhet Test. Questions regarding Mushfiqur’s position in the team are starting to surface, thus it is imperative that he starts scoring as he prepares to play in his 100th Test match later this year.
In Sylhet, Brian Bennett hit two fifties while controlling the Bangladeshi attack both times. After his first half-century, he claimed he was unconcerned about Rana’s pace. Bennett stated, “The faster the ball, the farther I can hit.” With his off-side shots, especially the square cut, he has exuded confidence. However, he was sacked just after turning fifty on both occasions, which was concerning because Zimbabwe briefly lost their way from a strong position after he was fired.
Team news: Bangladesh may switch up their starting lineup
Anamul Haque was called in by Bangladesh to strengthen their top order. Tanvir Islam, an uncapped left-arm spinner, has also joined them, and Tanzim Hasan, a fast bowler, is awaiting his debut.
1 Anamul Haque, 2 Shadman Islam, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), 4 Mominul Haque, Bangladesh (likely) 5. Rahim Mushfiqur, 6 Hasan Miraz Mehidy, 7 Jaker Ali (week), 8 Hasan Mahmud, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Khaled Ahmed, and 11 Tanzim Hasan
Despite having Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa, Trevor Gwandu, and Jonathan Campbell on the bench, Zimbabwe may not want to disrupt their winning lineup.
Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, and Craig Ervine (captain) are Zimbabwe’s likely starters. 5. Sean Williams 6 Madhevere Wessly, 7 Mayavo Nyasha (week), Wellington Masakadza, number 8 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Victor Nyauchi, and 9 Richard Ngarava
Conditions and pitch: Greetings from the batting haven.
Bangladesh’s top batting pitch is Chattogram, where the previous two teams to bat first have each scored 500 runs or more. The home team may suffer as they attempt to even the series because it is difficult to bowl teams out here. Rainfall is predicted for the first three days.
Data and trivia
Muzarabani’s best performance against Bangladesh in a match was 9 for 122 in Sylhet. Grant Flower’s 8 for 104 in Chattogram in 2001 was the previous best.
All of Bangladesh’s hitters were caught in the second innings of the Sylhet Test. It only occurred once for Bangladesh, and that was in 2021 against the West Indies.
Mehidy now leads Bangladesh with three ten-wicket hauls in Test cricket, surpassing Taijul’s and Shakib Al Hasan’s two each.
As match referee, this will be David Boon’s 87th and final Test match.
India
