International Cricket: Bangladesh vs. Zimbabwe 7/16/21 ODI Cricket Prediction

Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe resumes tomorrow with the first ODI match being played at Harare. The match will start on Friday July 16th, 2021 at 3:30am EST.

After losing the one-off test to the visitors, Zimbabwe will be eager to change their fortune in the series starter on Friday. Their last five head-to-head matches in the ODI format against Bangladesh all ended in defeat, a stat they are not pleased of. Bangladesh on the other hand will be looking to keep their winning ways going, boasting a very strong unit although they are without veteran Mushfiqur Rahim for the remainder of the tour for “family reasons”.

Bangladesh’s opening batting pair of Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal were exceptional in the last ODI series that they played against Zimbabwe with two centuries each. Key contributions at different intervals of the game from a batting perspective allowed for successful run chases as well as good scores being posted. Bangladesh’s bowling has been exceptional thus far on this tour with Mehidy Hasan Miraz being the standout bowler. Mehidy, the number two bowler in this format, along with Shakib Al Hasan who is the number one all-rounder will be called upon to lead the bowling attack to aid in the dominance against their opposition.

Zimbabwe will put the test match behind them and seek to regain homecourt advantage on Friday. They have shown glimpses of class and poise thus far on the tour but lacked consistency which has hindered them not only on this tour but on tours of late. Brendan Taylor was the star batsman for the Zimbabweans with two fifties and Kaitano scored one fifty as well but outside of those two they were no significant contributions, something they will surely have to work on going forward. Like the batsmen, the Zimbabwe bowlers had no tenacity, often behind the 8-ball in the contest. Blessing Muzarabani was the only real blessing in the test taking 4 wickets in the first innings and while they were other wicket takers, there was little fervor in their stride. Zimbabwe must find the right balance in order to pose a true threat throughout the upcoming ODI series.

There is not a huge buzz surrounding this tour but true cricket fans will still tune in to witness this ODI series unfold. Zimbabwe have the potential to upset any side on their best day especially when playing at home, however, Bangladesh have reigned supreme against the home team for quite some time and you can book a winning start in tomorrow’s game for the visitors. They are the much better all around team, especially in this format and should win this match comfortably against the hosts Zimbabwe.