Bangladesh 10/1 in 7.2 Overs

Ngarava explains your decision

“We have to bowl early. We know these conditions well, with some fat on the wicket, we want to bowl early,” Zimbabwe captain Richard Ngarava said.

To lead the side, he added: “There are no nerves. You don’t become a leader in one or two days, it’s a long time coming. We had a training camp that lasted almost two months.”

Shanto also wanted to bowl

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted that he had also opted to bowl earlier.

“We should have bowled first, but it doesn’t matter if we bat well for the first two hours. There is a bit of moisture in the wicket and the new ball will be challenging with extra bounce,” he said.

Shanto confirmed that Bangladesh will play a spinner, Taijul Islam, along with three seamers.

pitch ratio | Early help for pacers

The pitch at Harare is expected to favor early fast bowlers.

“It’s a nice spread of grass with good coverage. The seamers have a big say in the first hour if they keep hitting the right areas,” said commentator Athar Ali Khan in his pitch report.

He also advised the batsmen to be patient, saying it is a five-day game and there is plenty of time to build an innings.

Ben Curran confident after a long break

Zimbabwe opener Ben Curran believes the break from Test cricket has helped him work on his game.

“I had a few months to simplify my game and focus on the basics. I had a good preparation with the net sessions and time in the middle. I also worked on my batting skills and technique,” he said.

Playing XIs announced

Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Innocent Kaia, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava (capt), Blessing Muzarabani.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Amite Hasan (wk), Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain.