Tigers seek series-leveling victory in 2nd ODI against Zim

Bangladesh will look to keep the three-match ODI series alive when they face Zimbabwe in the second ODI at Harare Sports Club today (Thursday).
The match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm (Bangladesh time). 

Bangladesh suffered a 25-run defeat in the opening ODI after a batting collapse undermined a superb bowling performance that dismissed Zimbabwe for just 141.

Pace sensation Nahid Rana starred with career-best figures of 6-21, setting a new Bangladesh record for the best bowling figures in ODI cricket. 
He surpassed the previous mark of 6-26, jointly held by former captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who achieved the feat against Kenya in 2006, and Rubel Hossain, who matched it against New Zealand in 2013.

Nahid also became the second-fastest Bangladeshi bowler to claim three five-wicket hauls in ODIs. However, his record-breaking effort ended in vain as Bangladesh were bowled out for 116 while chasing a modest target of 142. While Bangladesh's bowling attack has consistently impressed in recent years, batting failures have remained a recurring concern.

The visitors are now determined to address those shortcomings as they seek to square the series. A victory would not only level the contest at 1-1 but also end their recent losing streak against Zimbabwe, which includes an innings and 85-run defeat in the one-off Test.

Despite his individual success, Nahid believed the match could have unfolded differently had Bangladesh broken Zimbabwe's final batting partnership earlier.

Zimbabwe slumped to 70-8 before Richard Ngarava and Newman Nyamhuri put up 63 runs for the ninth wicket, helping the hosts cross the 100-run mark. Zimbabwe eventually added 71 runs for their last two wickets to post a total that proved enough for victory.

"If I could have broken the last pair a little earlier, then maybe today's result would have been different or they would have scored fewer runs. I think our bowlers were a little loose in that phase," Nahid said.

"We started well with the ball. But we couldn't do well enough with the bat. If we had built a big partnership and avoided losing wickets in quick succession, maybe today's result could have been different. Still, everyone tried to give their best," he added.

Experienced batter Liton Das is expected to return for the second ODI after recovering from the injury he sustained during the home ODI series against Australia, providing a timely boost to Bangladesh's batting lineup. Despite the opening defeat, Bangladesh hold a dominant head-to-head record against Zimbabwe in ODIs, having won 51 of their 82 meetings, with Zimbabwe winning 31.

The last bilateral ODI series between the two sides in Zimbabwe was played in 2022, when the hosts secured a 2-1 series victory.    �"BSS