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TOP ORDER ARTISTS . . . Zimbabwe’s batsmen Vusi Sibanda (left) and Sikander Razza Butt leave their net session in Dhaka yesterday as they prepared for the first Test against Bangladesh tomorrow. — Cricinfo

DHAKA. — Bangladesh is the scene of one of Zimbabwe’s two away Test wins (Pakistan is the other) and is the only place where they have a realistic hope of similar success given the current status of their cricket.
It is also the place they are most familiar with and the opposition they know best.
Zimbabwean players have spent time in Bangladesh’s domestic tournaments.

Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams have been part of the Bangladesh Premier League and the Dhaka Premier League and have left their mark on the events, allowing both the Bangladesh public and players to examine their potential.

A good example is Chigumbura, who was the batsman on strike when Alauddin Babu conceded the most runs in an over in List A cricket. Alauddin conceded 39 runs in that over, including seven extras.

Chigumbura scored the other 32.
Bangladesh would not have forgotten that.

Those types of incidents also form the fabric of what is ultimately an intense rivalry, albeit on a smaller scale than cricket’s higher-profile contests.

A Bangladesh-Zimbabwe series does not carry the same prestige as an Ashes series or a clash between India and Pakistan but it is a mini version because the teams are of a similar level, especially now. It would not have gone unnoticed in the Zimbabwe camp that Bangladesh are wallowing in a pool of a poor results themselves and are without one of their main bowlers, Robiul Islam.

That may make Zimbabwe feel better about their own absentees.
A row with coach Stephen Mangongo has meant Sean Williams has not made the trip, despite consistent showings in the one-day series against South Africa and the triangular which followed featuring Australia, and Prosper Utseya has been banned from bowling because of an illegal action.

Utseya will likely be missed more because he would have been Zimbabwe’s main spinner.
Now they will have to rely on inexperienced bowlers to fill in for a man with more than a decade of international cricket under his belt, but the early signs are that Zimbabwe have some suitablae candidates.

Legspinners Tafadzwa Kamungozi and Natsai M’shangwe shared aseven wickets between them in the practice match and Kamungozi economy rate was under two runs an over.

With John Nyumbu to bowl offspin and left-armer Wellington Masakadza also part of the attack, Zimbabwe have options but have to hope none of them are overawed.

It is far more likely their batting will be intimidated, particularly by the conditions.
That was the case on their two other trips since their Test comeback.

In New Zealand in early 2012, Zimbabwe’s Test side was bowled out twice in a day but they did have a half-centurion in Regis Chakabva.
In the West Indies in 2013, they managed to score over 200 only once in four innings and none of their batsmen collected more than 100 runs in the series with the only fifty scored by Tino Mawoyo, who is not part of this squad.

On both trips, elements like pace from Trent Boult and Tim Southee, subtle skills like Chris Martin’s ability to move the ball just the right amount, and turn from Shane Shillingford is what accounted for Zimbabwe’s batsmen.

The last of those will be worrying, because it is what they will face in Bangladesh.
It also presents an opportunity to demonstrate whether they have made any progress.

Zimbabwe will rely on the experience of Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor to shoulder most of the responsibility of scoring runs but will also be heartened by what some of their other players did in the warm-up game.

Craig Ervine, who is making his return after 18 months of being unavailable, top-scored with an undefeated 85, while Sikandar Raza, who is on his first tour, managed a 44 and 45. — Cricinfo.