Bangladesh in Zimbabwe (2011)

With IND-ENG, SLN -AUS, there won't be many who would care about this but then this series will perhaps be a more competative one than the other two that are taking place.

Zimbabwe return to test cricket under a "white" captain in Brendon Taylor and while Bangladesh start off as firm favorites, I expect Zimbabwe to challenge then big time, I think in home conditions ZIM can match Bangladesh but then Bangla boys are more talented and have had good results against Zimbabwe in the past.

Sat Jul 30 - Mon Aug 1 07:30 GMT | 09:30 local 13:00 IST	Zimbabwe XI v Bangladeshis Harare Sports Club
Thu Aug 4 - Mon Aug 8 07:30 GMT | 09:30 local 13:00 IST	Only Test - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Harare Sports Club
Fri Aug 12 07:00 GMT | 09:00 local 12:30 IST	1st ODI - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Harare Sports Club
Sun Aug 14 07:00 GMT | 09:00 local 12:30 IST	2nd ODI - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Harare Sports Club
Tue Aug 16 07:00 GMT | 09:00 local 12:30 IST	3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Harare Sports Club
Fri Aug 19 07:00 GMT | 09:00 local 12:30 IST	4th ODI - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
Sun Aug 21 07:00 GMT | 09:00 local 12:30 IST	5th ODI - Zimbabwe v Bangladesh Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

Edited by sam_ahmed - 26 July 2011 at 7:23pm

So Zimbabwe get to play test cricket again after years in the wilderness.  The political interference has all but disappeared , but if big money from sponsors finds it's way into Cricket Zimbabwe's coffers you can be sure Mugabe will come knocking!
              Good luck to them though , they'll give Bangladesh a hard time in the test.

Yes Sam , the Zimbabweans haven't been paid since August 2010 and not one of them has a contract!  It's a farce and I fully expect them to play like amateurs tomorrow - just what incentive have they when they're treated so shabbily?
        Notice that the ICC offer no support , but what of the players union led by Tim May ?  Are the Zimbabwean players not members of that body and if not , why not ?

It's on TV here and I'll be having a look at lunchtime.  On paper Zimbabwe should have a fair chance of winning , but they haven't played any test cricket in years so impatience might play a part.  It could be a close contest.

Bangladesh should be the favts but Zimbabwe have had a brilliant first day of return to test cricket, 264/2 and bangladesh bowling has looked hopeless. I wonder if Mashrafe's career is over because of injuries ... he hardly plays these days.

Great going by Zimbabwe, can they win their very first test on return??? who knows but their cricket has definitely taken a lot of steps in the right direction in the last 6-8 months.

I'd expect BAN to do well too though, Tamim and Shakib and co could mean a high scoring draw.

Good to see players from Zimbabwe back into Test Cricket!!

Overseas where Bangladeshi spinners are ineffective the team struggles big time, Bangla are all about spinning their opponents out and they have some good batters who can score some runs, their pace attack is very thin and after Mortaza's injuries it has become more thin.

They have come back quite well in the match though, z much better performance with the ball today but Zimbabwe are still ahead I'd esp because Bangladesh will have to bat last on this wicket.

375 to win and currently 112-3 - it's looking grim  for the Bangladeshis.  They've been comprehensively outplayed from day 1 and only managed to take 5 wickets in Zimbabwe's 2nd dig - their bowling is dire !   The only consolation for the visitors is that ther's only the one test !

 Sam was right. This test a lot more engrossing that the Eng/Ind one. Been pretty close, even though BD seemed to be behind the 8-ball from the start they've never let Zim run away with it. A good positive start by them in the 4th innings but Zim has grabbed back the initiative with those late wickets. BD still got the batting prowess to make a match out of this. Glad to see that the Zimbabweans got the stomach for Test cricket against the Bangladeshis . Wouldn't have minded a few more tests between the two.

A terrific win for the Zimbabweans and fully deserved - Taylor's had a fine match !  I won't comment further on the visitors for fear of repetition.    I wonder if Bob was watching , some of the guys might get their farms back.

fantastic win for the Zimbabweans, I'm delighted for them , Brendon taylor has started off so positively I was looking at the FTP and I see very few series for ZIM which is a shame and I hope that changes because this team is surely on the right track.

As for bangladesh, yes this is a bit of an embarrassment for them but then I'd say these are two pretty evenly matched teams so this game could have gone either way. Bangladesh alsways struggle in foreign conditions where the ball swings around so this should not be much of a surprise. The ODI series should be very exciting too although I'd expect bangladesh to do much better in the shorter form of the game because their style of play suits it better.

Ball swings around? By and large Sam the wicket was flat and easy to score runs off. BD don't win games because they aren't a test side. Simple as that. Their batsmen have no patience and they have no fast bowlers to speak of. They were versing a team that had 4 debutants and they let one of them take 8 wickets in the test. For crying out loud, isn't it anymore obvious? BD should not be playing test cricket at all - period. This is embarrassing. You have much more talented players in Holland and Ireland, yet none of them are playing tests.

What's more embarrassing is Tamim Iqbal calling the Zim bowlers ordinary and saying that BD should easily chase 300+. Funny that, the guy was ALREADY out and was out to one of the so called 'ordinary bowlers'. It's the BD bowlers that are ordinary...

  I'm afraid Mikey's right. BD just doesn't look the part in Test cricket. The conditions were, if any, quiet ideal for them. There appears to be a mental block somewhere within that they just cannot override.  In 70-odd matches they've managed just 3 wins (two of which were against a third or fourth string WI side) against 60 losses, while Zimbabwe's won 9 from 80-odd and lost 49. Sorry to say but Bangladesh Test growth just seems stagnant if they ain't moving backwards.

 Thought Jarvis looked really promising. Nice bowling action and decent speed, could be a lot more handful in slightly better bowling conditions.

I  disagree mate - good talent was on show from Zimbabwe. Apart from Taylor, Ervine, Vitori, Price and Jarvis are pretty good. Price is ranked somewhere in the top 10 bowlers in ODIs if I am not mistaken. Bangladesh do have talent - but that is of little use if that shows up as a surprise element twice a year. time is here to relegate them or create another division for teams 7-12

I forgot Ray Price and I agree he is one of the best spinners in the world at the moment.

Look guyz Bangladesh last played a test in June 2010 against ENG and since then they haven't played any test either. How do the ICC or anyone expect them to improve without giving them proper exposure? you want them to play 2-3 times a year and win those games? That is not on. Further top teams like IND and ENG have refused to invite them (and ZIM) for even a single series in the next 9 years!!! That is astonishing!

This is where I have great respect for teams like RSA, SLN and PAK because despite being cricketing powerhouses they are never shy of playing against minnows and are always there to help them out, they give back a lot to the game of cricket and not just take from it. one can say that PAK are doing it may be because they want support from other boards but then even when PAK cricket was on a high they have always played series against ZIM and BAN on a consistent basis.

The BCCI would not want a home series against BAN or ZIM because it would not generate good revenues, is that what cricket is all about? is it all about making money? Why can't they think about the game, about the lesser nations and why can't they help them out. Why can't they give something back to the game of cricket? I'd would much rather see a 3 match ODI series between IND-ZIM or IND-BAN than a 50 day IPL circus or a 20 day champions league circus.

ENG on the other hand are very helpful to european nations like Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland, they play against them, they involve their players in county games, they even had NET as part of their domestic competition team I think this year but I do not often see them extend this support to nations outside of Europe.