Can batters deliver against unfamiliar Zimbabwe?

Bangladesh will not be facing the same Zimbabwe whom they used to dominate in the past as Shakib Al Hasan and his team will have to be at their very best to overcome the tough hurdle that awaits in their third Super 12 game of the ICC T20 World Cup in Brisbane today.

A spirited Zimbabwe not only passed the preliminary phase with some authority, the African nation also managed to pull off a memorable one-run win over Pakistan in their previous game on Friday. Thus, Craig Ervine and his troops are certain to possess the psychological edge over the Tigers from ball one at the Gabba.

Not so long ago, a popular notion existed among the Bangladeshi fans that involved the cricket board would think of arranging a series against Zimbabwe whenever the Tigers needed to regain confidence.

However, the scenario transformed earlier in July this year after hosts Zimbabwe handed Bangladesh a 2-1 T20I series defeat, outplaying the visitors with a blend of calculative and courageous cricket.

One player who went on to emerge as a revolution for Zimbabwe has been Sikandar Raza, and his impact with both bat and ball has inspired the team to bag a string of victories.

Although he missed out with the bat, Raza spun Pakistan with his off spin in the previous game by picking up three wickets to aid his side defend a small total of 130.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be searching to regain some momentum that was shattered following a comprehensive 104-run defeat against South Africa in the previous game. According to Sridharan Sriram, the Tigers technical consultant, the team are well aware of the probable threats from Zimbabwe.

"We have a plan, but we respect Zimbabwe. They had an amazing performance against Pakistan, we watched every ball of it," Sriram said in the pre-match press conference yesterday.

"We can't look at the points table, we can't dwell on what's happened. It's about remaining really calm, being very clear with our plans and focused on execution on the day," he added.

In their disastrous show against South Africa, unforced errors and weakness in handling pace led Bangladesh to getting bundled out for 101 runs. Thus, skipper Shakib will have to galvanise his side so that they negate the batting mishaps, which has long been a serious concern for his side.

The opening pair of Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto, however, managed to present somewhat of a bright side so far. The duo will be expected to provide a decent start after combining to add 43 and 26 quick runs against Netherlands and the Proteas, respectively.

Sriram seems confident over the two openers and informed that those who get starts would need to make an impact but also added that it's a learning process for Soumya and Shanto.

"I think it's giving them more game time, more experience, and the more they play together, the more they play against different opposition in different conditions, they will learn it's about kicking on, and they will learn that.

"The ones that get a start, they're able to go on and make that impact that we talk about. I think it's a learning process for both Shanto and Soumya, and I think they'll do it," said the new addition to the Bangladesh coaching staff.

Eventually, irrespective of how the openers operate, the onus will be on Shakib, Afif Hossain and Liton Das to step up and make the middle-order function, an aspect that has remained missing in the mega event for Bangladesh so far.