Bangladesh might openly reveal their desire of making an experiment in the four-match T20 series against Zimbabwe but the body language of the players ahead of the series opener gave the indication that they are not willing to make it at the expense of victory.
The series opener will take place today at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna.
They are rather keen to improve in 2016 on what was a landmark year for  them in 2015 when they take on Zimbabwe in the first T20 to open the New Year. In a format in what Bangladesh often found them in vulnerable position and struggled to prepare a proper strategy, ideally this series would give them an opportunity to fix their combination ahead of the Asia Cup T20 and World T20.
Bangladesh gave up playing Test cricket, only to improve their record in T20. In other sense, they don’t want the winning momentum to go away. The team management pondered, a series of loss in T20 cricket what Bangladesh will be playing continuously for the coming three months, could make an adverse impact on other format which is believed to make them so serious on this format at the moment.
Considering, Bangladesh would play so many T20 matches in a row for the first time since it started playing T20 cricket in 2006, there are lot of opportunities to make an experiment. Bangladesh never played more than two T20 matches in a row in a series.
While Zimbabwe came off crushing ODI and T20 series loss to Afghanistan, Bangladesh are on a memorable winning-streak, albeit they lost their last match, what was a T20 match, in the last year against the same opponents. Nevertheless, Bangladesh will go into the series as red-hot favourite.
Only the complacency could be the Bangladesh’s great enemy.
“We barely play two to three T20 matches in a year. So we didn’t really get a chance to think much about it,” Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said. “We will be playing many series’ ahead and Zimbabwe is one of those. So once again I would like to say that we lost against Zimbabwe in the last match. We can’t really be complacent against them. There’s no chance.”
“And this is the only opportunity. If we want to see something, we have to see it here because after this we have the Asia Cup which is a big tournament and after that we have the World Cup. And in the World Cup we have to play the qualifiers, so this is the best possible opportunity.”
Bangladesh included three uncapped players – fast bowler Abu Haider Rony, wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan and all-rounder Shuvagata Hom for the series. The latter however played Test and ODI. It is highly likely that Bangladesh could give three of them a go for the first match. Mashrafe didn’t disclose the combination for the first T20 but his nature of giving surprise is well-known.
“In this format we have a lot to see and learn. The first target is obviously a win. But then again there are issues like combination which we need to focus on. We will be focusing on both. We have created a combination. We may get a result, or we may not. But we think now is the time to find a combination.”
Zimbabwe might come in out-of-sort and jaded state, having lost to Afghanistan in ODI and T20 series in which they fielded almost a second string side. But they are the side who won the recent match, played between the two teams. They will get back senior players like Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams and other in the first match against Bangladesh. It prompted Mashrafe not to take anything granted.
“We had lost the last match against Zimbabwe in T20 cricket and that’s why we are very focused in this series. Our job is to apply the plans on the field successfully. That’s what we are focused on. In the entire series, we will want to play consistent cricket.”