The walls of the press-conference room at the Harare Sports Club ground are wrapped in memorials. The pictures hung in the wall tell the history of cricket in Zimbabwe.
A picture hung at one of those walls caught my attention. It was taken during Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2001. That was Bangladesh’s first ever tour to Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh was under the leadership of Naimur Rahman and Heath Streak was the captain of Zimbabwe. The presence of players like Grant Flower, Andy Flower, Douglas Marillier, Bryan Strang and Deon Ebrahim added to the importance of the image.
That was also the last time Bangladesh got clean-swept in ODIs against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. That same year, the star-studded Zimbabwean team toured Bangladesh. Even here they defeated Bangladesh, who were in their second year as a Test nation, in all matches. Since then, at home or away, Zimbabwe has never managed to clean-sweep Bangladesh in ODIs.
In 2022, Bangladesh is once again faced with that possibility. Zimbabwe has already sealed the series by winning the first two matches of the three-match series. Now, they are eyeing to make it 3-0.
However, the current Zimbabwean team could hardly be compared to the Zimbabwe team of 2001. In the last two decades, Bangladesh cricket has made positive strides while Zimbabwe cricket has fallen behind.
This difference is what makes it hard for the fans to believe what has so far transpired in Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2022. But this is the reality. Zimbabwe have the winning momentum on their side. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are on their knees after a series full of disappointments.
This difference was visible in the body language of both teams the day before the third match. The entire Zimbabwe team arrived to the ground in the morning but the vibe in that camp made it seem like it was an optional training session. Coach David Houghton had given his entire team free reign to train as they wish. The cricketers also left the field after some light training.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team began a net session right after arriving at the ground. Other than Mahmudullah and Taskin Ahmed, everyone was busy in batting-bowling training. The coaches were paying extra attention to the new members of the team, Ebadot Hossain and Mohammad Naim. Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal also did their routine training against the national team pacers. Anamul Haque was busy training to hit sixes the entire session.
All this would indicate that the team is trying to bounce back. Bangladesh team’s pace bowling coach Allan Donald said that this match is important for Bangladesh to regain lost confidence. He also said that this match is a test to see whether Bangladesh can fight back.
“We have spoken about this team’s ability to bounce back. We have already lost the series. But we need to win to regain confidence.”
Bangladesh will be playing for pride. The ODI series against Zimbabwe is not part of the ICC ODI Super League. So, Bangladesh will not be vying to gain 10 points. Bangladesh has only one thing to either lose or gain, which is pride.
* This report has been rewritten in English by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy