Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 1st ODI Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

With a forgettable test match for almost all except a few Bangladeshi players (Mushfiqur with his double ton, Nayeem Hasan with his 9-for) behind them, the squads of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will be looking forward to the upcoming ODI series, starting with the match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. As this is legendary captain Mashrafe Mortaza’s final series, Bangladesh will definitely be looking to win this one, while Zimbabwe will want to salvage whatever pride and ranking points they can.

Bangladesh Team News & Form

On the back of the aforementioned test win, Bangladesh will be looking to bully the Chevrons once again as they consistently have on home soil for the last few years. There’s enough skill and experience in the lineup to pull the team through, and most of the players will likely be more focused on hero plays and records than just getting the job done. However, this complacency could be deadly if Zimbabwe manages to put up strong resistance.

WIth some experienced names and some great young talents, Bangladesh is definitely the stronger team on paper. The Tigers’ lineup might be missing one-man army Shakib Al Hasan, but it still features star names such as Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mustafizur Rahman, and Mahmudullah Riyadh balanced with promising youngsters like Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin.

Zimbabwe Team News & Form

Since the team fell apart in 2003-2004, Zimbabwe has been suffering from a lack of both skill and experience. There’s talent, but very little in the way of nurture or practice. After their only wins in the ODI format in all of 2019 came against an amateurish UAE side, and being whitewashed by the Netherlands and Ireland, the team is despondent and hungry for a respectable victory.

The Chevrons’ squad, led by Chamu Chibhabha, constitutes little in the way of experience save for Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, and Sikandar Raza. They will no doubt be missing the recently-retired Hamilton Masakadza in this series, and the newcomers will have to make up for the void left by him.

Head-to-Head History

Bangladesh has a solid record against Zimbabwe with 44 wins and 28 losses over 72 games. The last time the visiting side won a match against their South Asian hosts was in Bulawayo in 2013, and since then, the closest they came to victory was a 21-run loss in 2014. The lack of matches on home soil is no doubt a key reason for this, but at the end of the day, stats are stats. Nevertheless, cricket is full of surprises and given Bangladesh’s own poor run of form, who knows?

Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe Prediction and Betting Tips

Like in the test match, complacency and overconfidence are Bangladesh’s greatest foe and woe. In the only ODI ever played at this new Sylhet stadium, Bangladesh thumped the West Indies - winning by 8 wickets with 69 balls to spare. With all stats pointing to a win for them, Bangladesh need to keep a level head and see the match through. Expect Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the other spinners to strike with the ball, and Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das to bat strongly.

In the Zimbabwe camp, the players are desperate to prove themselves, and it is that spirit that will be most useful if they are to win this one. Expect Ervine and Taylor to bat well, and Chris Mpofu and Sikandar Raza to pick up some wickets.

Who will win the 1st ODI?

Match Prediction: Bangladesh To Win (1.22 @ 1XBET)

Other Betting Tips:

• Toss – Zimbabwe
• BAN top batsman – M Rahim
• ZIM top batsman – C Ervine
• Players to score a century - M Rahim/L Das (BAN), B Taylor/C Ervine (ZIM)
• Players to score a fifty – M Rahim/M Riyadh/L Das(BAN), B Taylor/C Chibhabha/C Ervine(ZIM)
• Players to take most wickets - Taijul Islam (BAN), C Mpofu (ZIM) 
• Most boundaries - BAN

 
Will Bangladesh dominate as expected? Or will Zimbabwe resurge? Find out on Sunday!