Deflated Bangladesh take on familiar foes Zimbabwe in opener

Death, taxes and Bangladesh versus Zimbabwe - three constants in life. The Tigers will be desperate to get back to winning ways against an opposition they have generally done well against, but in a format where Bangladesh have a sketchy record - T20I's at the Sher-e-Bangla national stadium in Mirpur. 

After a torrid couple of months which included Bangladesh exiting the World Cup in 8th position, and then a 3-0 ODI series whitewash against hosts Sri Lanka, and finally a humiliating surrender to Afghanistan in the one-off Test, the home team will hope for a better result in the first T20I against Zimbabwe. 

The Zimbabwe team, that has also had a tough couple of months by being stripped of ICC membership, and then having its board abolished by the government, will also be seeking a positive result with equal desperation.

The team started off on the right foot by defeating the BCB XI in the warm-up match with a Brendan Taylor half-century, and winning with seven wickets and 16 deliveries to spare.

This promises to be a tight contest as the T20I World Cup in 2020 draws closer and both teams will be going all out for victory in Mirpur. 

Conditions and pitch

The track in Sher-e-Bangla doesn't usually offer much runs, and this should also be the case with plenty of assistance for the slower bowlers. 

However, with dew and rain in mind, the team that wins the toss should be looking at bowling first and chasing.

Speaking of rain, there should be some sporadic showers, but nothing too persistent to force a washout entirely, especially given the excellent drainage facilities in the grounds.  

Team records

Both teams have met each other nine times in T20I's before, with Bangladesh winning five and losing four.

Their last T20I meeting was in 2016 at Khulna where Zimbabwe won by 18 runs.

Hamilton Masakadza was the player of the match with a score of 93, and he will be a big miss later on as he has announced he will retire from cricket after this series.. 

The right-handed top order batsman also leads the run charts with 318 T20I runs against Bangladesh with an average of 53 and a strike rate of 138.26.

Bangladesh T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan however leads the way with the ball as he has taken 12 wickets against Zimbabwe, and is at the top of the wicket-takers' chart in T20I's involving these two teams.

Possible Lineups

The hosts will be looking to bring on some newer faces in the likes of all-rounder Afif Hossain. The game could also see Mustafizur Rahman and Saifuddin return to the starting XI. Mustafiz had been dropped for the one-off Test while Saifuddin has made a full recovery from a back injury.

For Zimbabwe, they should be going with the winning combination from the warm-up match against BCB XI.

Over there, the senior players Sean Williams (3-18 in four overs) and Masakadza (31 runs off 23 balls) were some of the star performers along with Taylor, so they should be in the starting lineup as well.