ZIMBABWE A will be hoping for a better batting display when they take on their Bangladeshi counterparts in the second four-day match at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Dhaka, starting today. DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER
The touring side slumped to a six-wicket defeat in the first four-day match in Cox’s Bazar last week, with their batting department struggling against the hosts’ spinner led by Saqlain Sajib, who claimed a record-breaking 15 wickets.
Zimbabwe A captain Vusi Sibanda said although they were not sure how the wicket at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium was going to play, they would be aiming for a better perfomance with the bat.
“We are looking forward to the game. I can’t really comment much on the conditions as I haven’t seen the wicket we would be playing on yet. It’s been raining everyday here and looks like it’s the same the whole week. Nevertheless I hope we get our game right with the bat and get a better result regardless of the conditions lying ahead,” Sibanda said ahead of today’s match.
Although Zimbabwe A spinners troubled the Bangladeshis with Wellington Masakadza and Tinotenda, the batting department did not come to the party during the first match.
Zimbabwe will, however, be encouraged by the fact that their senior batsman Sibanda and wicketkeeper batsman Regis Chakabva scored half centuries in the first innings.
The second innings batting display, where they were bundled out for 108 runs, however, proved to be Zimbabwe A’s biggest undoing.
Meanwhile, the second four-day match had originally been scheduled to begin yesterday, but in a statement released on Saturday the Bangladesh Cricket Board said the change to the schedule has been made due to unavoidable circumstances.
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The change has affected the first two unofficial one-day international matches, with the first one-dayer which had been set for next Saturday now set for next Sunday.
The second one-dayer has been moved from September 29 to the 30th while the third one-dayer remains as originally scheduled — on the first of next month.
