Zimbabwe arrives: Zim coach claims BD to be favorite in the series..

Ahmed_B · #1 November 24, 2006, 08:55 AM

Zimbabwe team for the series has arrived to Dhaka yesterday. Upon arrival.. the ZIM coach has tried to indicate that BD is still the favorite for the series claiming themselves to be the "underdogs".

Quote:

A 22-member Zimbabwe cricket team led by off-spinner Prosper Utseya arrived in Dhaka today afternoon to play 5 ODIs and a 20Twenty match against Bangladesh.

The Zimbabweans, ranked one place below Bangladesh at number 10 in the ICC ODI rankings, will have their first training session at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium in Fatullah tomorrow (Thursday) morning and are scheduled to play a practice game at the BKSP on the 26th.

The two teams have met 11 times over the last couple of seasons with Bangladesh holding a 6-5 advantage. In their most recent meeting the Tigers thrashed Zimbabwe by 122 runs at Jaipur in the ICC Champions Trophy last month but did lose a 5-game series 2-3 in Harare in July-August. However Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran reckons the home side holds the edge going into the AKTEL Series 2006.

“Considering the conditions here I think we are the underdogs. Bangladesh have been playing well and they have had some good results against top teams,” said the former Zimbabwe all-rounder while talking to reporters at the Zia International Airport after the team arrived.

Zimbabwe have reinforced their spin attack to negotiate the Sub-continental wickets and Curran felt slow bowling could hold the key in the series.

“I think the spinners will play a major role in the series,” said Curran

Tigercricket News

Kabir · #2 November 24, 2006, 09:53 AM

Welcome Zimbabwe. From Curran's thoughts, i feel that they're a very modest team. They shouldn't underestimate themselves though. It's not the right strategy in sports.

Hoping to see a wonderful series this time

kalpurush · #3 November 24, 2006, 02:23 PM

Mr. Curran is playing a mental (psychological) game here! It's a nice trick to confuse our young and immature players that being favourite they don't have to play hard!!

In a given day in ODI any team can win depends on whoever plays better cricket that day. Our players should only concentrate on their game and play their best. There is no place for complacency here. Good luck and all the best...boys.

Kabir · #4 November 24, 2006, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalpurush
Mr. Curran is playing a mental (psychological) game here! It's a nice trick to confuse our young and immature players that being favourite they don't have to play hard!!

Yup...that's another another possibility!

Omio · #5 November 24, 2006, 04:03 PM

They put one kind of pressure by claming BD r favorite,
WE hav to show that we r favorite not in paper but in the field.

Rabz · #6 November 24, 2006, 08:55 PM

Well, we are favs on our own soil..no doubt about that...
lets just see what our boys do bout it...

Tokyobreeze · #7 November 24, 2006, 10:43 PM

We will burn them with spin.They know it well and probably they are trying to put some particular plan for that.But, we will burn them anyway.

With this Ash-Fool demonstration everywhere little news are coming out regarding how our players are prepareing.We must have a fully fit unit ready for the show.

Haradhon · #8 November 24, 2006, 11:28 PM

This is an opportunity for our batsmen to boost their ODI average

battye · #9 November 25, 2006, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haradhon
This is an opportunity for our batsmen to boost their ODI average

No, that's the 2 ODI series vs Scotland

Ahmed_B · #10 November 25, 2006, 02:21 AM

Excerpts from the Interview on fist day:

Quote:

Prosper Utseya

(Whether the absence of Mohammad Ashraful in the Bangladesh side was good for his team)

It is not in our hands that Mohammad Ashraful is not in the team. It is up to the Bangladesh selectors. For us it doesn’t matter who we take on. Whoever it is we can play cricket against him

(There was a time when Bangladesh were the underdogs against Zimbabwe. Whether he feels that balance has shifted)

Obviously we lost a number of players over the years and there was a vacuum. We are trying to fill that. The Bangladesh team has been playing together for a while so obviously they are quite experienced.

(Whether revenge for the 122-run thrashing at the hands of the Tigers in the Champions Trophy was on his mind)

Yes. Obviously.

(Whether conditions and the Bangladeshi spinners worry him)

... Yes we do worry about their spin bowling.

Kevin Curran

(His take on the favourites for this series)
Bangladesh, probably.

It’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen. I’m not predicting results. I know what we need to do to have positive results. I hope we can do that. I can’t make any predictions at this stage.

Read full interview in Tigercricket

Ahmed_B · #11 November 25, 2006, 03:08 AM

The tone of this Write-up shows how important this series is for ZIM.

Quote:

Article From the The Zimbabwe Independant
"Don't stretch our patience too far"
IndependentSport View By Darlington Majonga, 25 Nov'2006

"...What must be worrying KC more, however, is the failure by his side to maintain consistency.

The last ODI series against Bangladesh — which Zimbabwe eventually won 3-2 — as well as the poor show at the ICC Champions Trophy just went over the boundary to prove the yoyo disposition of KC’s boys.

Still, we have all been patient. We have given the boys time to find their footing and mature in the international thing.

They have to a certain extent found their footing, but maturity still seems ages away.

One thing that no one disputes is that Zimbabwe are massively talented, but so far they have not been good enough. And can they be good enough?

So far, the cricket fraternity remains on tenterhooks, unsure how Zimbabwe will cope.

When will Zimbabwe start winning again (against top opposition)? When will Zimbabwe become competitive again?

These are just but a few questions the cricket fraternity — at home and abroad — would want answered.

However, for now, everyone wants to know: will Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh again?

Bangladesh is a tough examination for KC and his charges.

Before the player crisis in 2004, this is a question no one would have imagined.

Now skipper Prosper Utseya and his colleagues will certainly be hard-pressed to show us they are coming of age or at least learning with every game that passes.

Victory over Bangladesh had become routine for Zimbabwe until March 10 2004 when the Tigers skimmed to their maiden ODI win at Harare Sports Club since joining the elite Test league four years earlier.

A Bangladesh total of 238 seemed modest for Zimbabwe to chase — though Streak, Douglas Hondo, Sean Ervine, Grant Flower and Raymond Price had been expected to do a better job with the ball.

As Grant sauntered from the pavilion to open the innings for Zimbabwe, defeat at the hands of Bangladesh seemed inconceivable.

And no one might have panicked when Grant was trapped leg-before on two after facing just five balls: Zimbabwe still had Stuart Carlisle, Tatenda Taibu, Dion Ebrahim, Ervine and Streak to look to.

But by the time Streak became the seventh wicket on 30 in the 45th over with Zimbabwe on 199, the unimaginable was about to happen.

The moment Hondo was clean-bowled by Tareq Aziz after facing one ball, Price and Blessing Mahwire found it challenging to muster nine runs to win from the remaining four balls.

It was a shock.

This appeared only a slip-up resulting from complacency on the part of the experienced Zimbabwe side that most people thought was a one-off thing and probably the Tigers felt the same way as well.

But that defeat was to be the straw that broke the camel’s back....."

Full Story: The Zim Independent

israr · #12 November 25, 2006, 04:43 AM

All the best to Zimbabwe in future!

naheyan · #13 November 25, 2006, 12:09 PM

well........all i m hoping frm this series and the scotland series to follow is that shahriar nafees takes his ODIs centuries tally to 5...

Bancan · #14 November 25, 2006, 12:38 PM

same here. i hope he scores atleast 3 centuries

Hatebreed · #15 November 25, 2006, 01:25 PM

He's trying to shift the pressure to Bangladesh and put us on backfoot. Even a close contest earlier on (or worse) will play into this tactic.

Protic · #16 November 25, 2006, 01:59 PM

LOL yeah.. playing mental games..eh?
Making the tigers feel the pressure and taking the pressure off from his boys.
Lets just hope the pressure doesnt creeps on our boys..and we win the series 5-0 !

On shahriar nafees topic : I just want him to score runs.. 3 tons in 7 matches? Yeah awesome if he can score..If not maybe 2 tons and 3 50's.. Just increase career average..and keep up the form.
Someone should really put up a thread on Shahriar Nafees.. with details info..and stuffs..where we talk about HIM only! We already have 5 Ashraful threads!

kalpurush · #17 November 25, 2006, 04:13 PM

Ami kaman cheye pistol pet-e chai na! Ekta jinis-e chai - ta holo....consistancy. Our boys should value their wickets and play hard with all their devotion. Am I asking too much?!!

Andy-Flower · #18 November 27, 2006, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalpurush
Mr. Curran is playing a mental (psychological) game here! It's a nice trick to confuse our young and immature players that being favourite they don't have to play hard!!

THats true, Curran said this to take pressure off his lads..what he actually meant inside of him is, ''we will beat the hell out of them.''