Bangladesh will play Zimbabwe in the third T20I of the five-match series on Tuesday, May 7. The game will take place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury International Stadium in Chattogram. The home team has a slight advantage over their opponents, given that they know these conditions very well.
Chattogram, a city known for its big sea port, is famous for its humid and temperate weather. The surface in the stadium is known to aid spin very well, and Zimbabwe are likely to struggle when they face the quality spinners in the Bangladesh side.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has to lead Bangladesh in dictating terms against Zimbabwe. As he said ahead of the first T20I, his side cannot afford to take their opponents lightly. Zimbabwe, nonetheless, have a massive task on their hands.
Predicted Squads
BAN: Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain.
ZIM: Joylord Gumbie (wk), Craig Ervine, Brian Bennett, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza (c), Clive Madande, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza.
Key Players
Mahedi Hasan (BAN): Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan is one of the biggest cogs in the Bangladeshi wheel. He will play a significant role in this game. Hasan has won the trust of skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and has done extremely well whenever he has been handed the ball in this series.
Sean Williams (ZIM): Southpaw Sean Williams is one of the most important players on the Zimbabwean side. He will have to take up the responsibility of guiding his team home. He cannot quite up his arms and let go of the responsibilities that bind them to his home country in such challenging conditions.
Match Prediction
Bangladesh are the overwhelming favourites, given that Zimbabwe are not quite used to the local conditions. Apart from a few players on their side, only a few of their players know how to tackle the slow and turning conditions here in Bangladesh. This will come in handy for Bangladesh.
