CityCell Zimbabwe Tour of Bangladesh 2005
Time for fireworks
Sports Reporter
After an absorbing five days of cricket in the drawn second Test, Bangla-desh and Zimbabwe turned up for some light practice at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday ahead of today's first one-day international of the five-match series.Tigers captain Habibul Bashar said his side was brimming with confidence after a historic first ever Test series win against the tourists and wanted to carry on the form to the ODIs even though there was hardly any time to adjust with just a day's break between the last Test and the first ODI which will be a day-night affair. "It is very difficult for the boys to shift their concentration to the shorter version within a day. But I must say we are very confident of keeping the momentum going. We want a clean sweep in the series," said Bashar. "I think we are now fully capable of handling any kind of pressure. The first Test win was a real morale booster for us and the fight back in the second Test completely changed our attitude," added Bashar. Coach Dav Whatmore arrived at practice a little early with the four players called up for the ODIs -- all-rounder Khaled Mahmud, batsman Alok Kapali, left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak Raj, pacer Nazmul Hossain and left-arm spinner Manzarul Islam Rana, who was in the 13 for the Test series but did not play a match. Rest of the players joined in after an hour and practiced under floodlight. Bashar was expecting a tougher Zimbabwe in the one-day series. "They have some good all-rounders and I think another plus point is their athletic fielding. We have to be at our best to make another history. That is why it is important to set the tune from the first match." The Bangladesh captain felt that the team has continued to improve since their victory against India in the second ODI on December 26. "We not only won one match against India but also showed impressive batting in the other two games of that series. The most positive aspect to come out of our cricket over the last few weeks has been the resolution shown by the batsmen," said Bashar. Despite the Test series defeat, Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu was upbeat about his side's prospects in the ODIs. "I don't agree that they (Bangladesh) finished the Test series with an upper-hand. We dominated the second match and they had to ensure draw from behind. I am happy that our young side is improving in every game," said Taibu. "We will go for a win and I believe my young side is very much capable and determined to pull it off. I think we are a much better one-day side because we have some quality all-rounders," added Taibu. The Zimbabwe skipper, who led his side by example in the Tests, said that they will take inspiration from the ODI series against England at home in November last year. "Considering our strength, we had a good series against England and I am sure it will help us to play better cricket against Bangladesh. We played four one-day matches against a strong England and in every match we showed our potential." Zimbabwe coach Phil Simmons meanwhile expressed his displeasure at the tight scheduling. "I'm not happy with a day's break before another series which is a totally different ball game. It is not ideal for players," said the former West Indies batsman.
|