Miraz said the team wanted to make the most of the early moisture in the pitch and hoped the top-order batters would build partnerships later in the chase.
“We want to bowl first. There is a little bit of moisture and we want to take advantage of it. Yes, I think we (need) make a partnership, the batsmen in the top order. I think it’s a great opportunity to every batter. I think the wickets looks good. If we play well, definitely it will be better. (Asked about previous four series) I think that was a great moment for us. The last four series we did it and the way we (are) playing, that was excellent and the confidence there, but still this is the new ground, new conditions, so we have to play positive.”
Zimbabwe skipper Richard Ngarava said his side was ready for the challenge despite the switch from Test cricket to the 50-over format.
“Not really. I feel like the team is prepared and all the batters are quite prepared to take on whatever comes our way. Well, of course, you have to do a few touch-ups to get into the ODI series, which is quite different from test cricket where you’re just waiting for that bad ball. But quite happy about how we went about things and the batters have been quite proactive about how they want to do their job. Yeah, we only had a few changes in Wellington, Ryan Burl, Raza and in the 15 today we do have Raza, which is quite nice to have him back in the squad.”
Pitch expected to help seamers early
The pitch report suggested that the new surface could assist fast bowlers in the opening hour because of moisture, grass cover and overcast conditions.
The biggest boundary measures 75 metres, while the shortest straight boundary is 68 metres. The surface has a healthy covering of grass and is expected to offer extra bounce, seam movement and a bit of nip early in the innings.
Cracks in front of the stumps could also make the ball behave unpredictably if bowlers hit the right areas. Batters are expected to face the toughest challenge during the first 10 overs before conditions become better for stroke-making later in the day.
Playing XIs
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana.
Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Clive Madande (wk), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava (capt), Blessing Muzarabani.
