ZIM vs BAN Match Prediction, 1st T20I – Who will win today’s match between Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh?

Zimbabwe are set to host Bangladesh in the 1st T20I match at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Saturday. Zimbabwe qualified for the T20 World Cup 2022 after beating Papua New Guinea in the semi-final clash earlier this month. They beat the Netherlands in the finals of the qualifier tournament and now hope for a winning start against Bangladesh.

On the other hand, Bangladesh ended their recent West Indies tour by winning all three ODI matches but lost the three-match T20I series by 2-0. The Bangladesh management decided to rest regular T20I skipper Mahmudullah for this tour and handed captaincy duties to wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan. Mahmudullah was struggling with both form and results, and reports suggest that Shakib Al Hasan is likely to be appointed as the captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022.

Zimbabwe will be hoping for big performances from their in-form all-rounders Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, who were sensational in the qualifier fixtures. They lost the three-match T20I series by 1-2 at home when Bangladesh traveled to Zimbabwe last year. Zimbabwe lost the series decider clash by five wickets with just four balls remaining after scoring 193 runs while batting first.

ZIM vs BAN Match Details

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Date and Time: July 30, 4:30 PM IST and 01:00 PM Local Time

Telecast & Live Streaming: FanCode

ZIM vs BAN Pitch Report

The pitch at Harare Sports Club is well balanced for both batters and bowlers in T20 games. The average first innings score here is 157 with the team batting first to win most of the matches. Pacers are likely to get extra pace with the new ball in powerplay overs but batters are likely to dominate the fixture.

Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh, 1st T20I Probable Playing XIs

Zimbabwe:

Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Sean Williams, Wessly Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava.

Bangladesh:

Liton Das, Anamul Haque, Najmul Shanto, Afif Hossain, Munim Shahriar, Nurul Hasan (c & wk), Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed.

ZIM vs BAN, 1st T20I Probable Top Performers

Probable best batter of the match

Liton Das:

The star opening batter is in great form with a 50-run knock in the last ODI match against West Indies and a 49-run knock in the last T20I match. With Shakib and Mahmudullah missing this tour, he needs to play with more responsibility. He scored only 14 runs in the first two T20I matches but will be a key batter for Bangladesh in this series. He has scored 980 runs in 50 T20I innings at an average of 20.

Probable best bowler of the match

Sikandar Raza:

The star all-rounder dominated the T20 World Cup Qualifiers by finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs in just five matches. The right-arm off-spinner also took five wickets, most for Zimbabwe in the qualifiers. Raza took four wickets against the Netherlands in the finals while conceding just eight runs in his four-over spell.

Today’s Match Prediction: Bangladesh to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.