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Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and elected to bowl first against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Harare Sports Club on Monday.
Miraz said the decision was influenced by the fresh pitch, which offered grass and moisture, conditions expected to assist the pace bowlers during the early stages of the match.
The ODI series marks a fresh start for Bangladesh after suffering a crushing innings-and-85-run defeat in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Despite that setback, the visitors enter the 50-over contest with confidence, having won four consecutive bilateral ODI series under Miraz’s captaincy, including a landmark triumph over Australia.
Bangladesh have been strengthened by the return of their frontline pace attack. Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam are back after being rested for the Test. Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das, however, misses the opening ODI as he continues to recover from a calf injury, with Nurul Hasan taking over behind the stumps.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will look to build on the momentum generated by their historic Test victory. Fast bowler Richard Ngarava leads the ODI side for the first time, while opener Innocent Kaia returns after scoring an impressive 140 in the Test. Experienced all-rounders Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl also strengthen the home side.
Pitch experts expect the new surface to favour seam bowlers early before becoming more batting-friendly as the match progresses. Weather conditions are forecast to remain clear throughout the day.
Playing XIs
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Nurul Hasan (wicketkeeper), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Nahid Rana.
Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Clive Madande (wicketkeeper), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava (captain) and Blessing Muzarabani.
The second and third ODIs will be played on July 9 and July 11 respectively, before the teams move to Bulawayo for a three-match T20 International series.
