Zimbabwean assistant coach Dion Ebrahim confident of putting Bangladesh under pressure

Zimbabwean assistant coach Dion Ebrahim is optimistic about his team's chances in the second Test against Bangladesh, despite a batting collapse on the opening day of the Chattogram Test. After winning the toss and having a strong start, Zimbabwe pushed down from 178 for 4 to 227 for 9 at stumps, courtesy of Taijul Islam’s five-wicket haul.

Coming into the match with a win in the first Test, the visitors were in good control through contributions from Sean Williams and Nick Welch. Williams top-scored with a 67, while Welch added 54 before retiring hurt due to severe cramps.

However, Bangladesh’s spinners, including Taijul and Nayeem Hasan, picked wickets in quick succession in the final session. Despite the poor batting in the fag end of the day, Ebrahim defended Williams' shot selection, which triggered the collapse. He also spoke about Welch’s retirement hurt which was another hit for Zimbabwe

"I'm not disappointed by the shot selection nor by the decision to play it. Williams is a world-class player of spin, and the sweep shot is one of his more successful options against spin. Was it the right shot to play? Definitely. Probably just poor execution on that occasion, but not the wrong choice. Nick suffered from severe cramps in both his forearms and hamstrings. Just before the tea break, it gradually got worse - you would have seen him getting treatment on the field. He came into the dressing room at tea, and we tried to administer more treatment. Unfortunately, after tea, his condition regressed quite quickly. So he had to retire himself out, hoping to recover fast enough to return later," Ebrahim told reporters after the opening day.

While Zimbabwe would have ideally wanted an extra 40-50 runs on the board, Ebrahim is positive about their chances, especially with the pitch providing turn. The assistant coach believes the game is still balanced with four more days of play remaining.

"Obviously, we're a bit disappointed. We would've liked to have scored another 40-50 runs. It's definitely a different challenge. We knew coming into Chattogram that the wicket would turn, and we were prepared for these conditions and several of our players have been here before, so it's not a surprise. However, considering the pitch was taking a turn right from the first session, we're still optimistic. We brought in an extra spinner for a reason. Until both teams have batted in their first innings, I think the game remains evenly balanced. We are confident that our attack can put the Bangladesh batters under pressure. As I said, the pitch is already offering a significant turn," he added.