Bangladesh will feel the pinch as the expectation from them is too high, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura said on Saturday, conceding that they will start the five-match one-day series as clear underdogs.
Zimbabwe did not win any series in Bangladesh in the last five years despite retaining almost the same squad that they sent in 2005 following a mass retirement of their senior players.
‘They are playing well at home. We are the underdogs and just need to play our best cricket,’ Chigumbura told reporters after their first practice session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
‘Bangladesh would be feeling the pressure as they have won games against bigger teams, so they are expected to win against Zimbabwe, but for us we are not really under pressure,’ said Chigumbura.
Chigumbura was at the receiving end of a massive onslaught by Aftab Ahmed on his first tour as a player in 2005. He is relieved that Aftab is not part of the Bangladesh team, though it hardly matters to him.
He singled out Sakib-al Hasan as the potential threat for them in the series, almost in the same manner Daniel Vettori did before Bangladesh’s last one-day series against New Zealand in October.
‘Most of the players are playing well for Bangladesh, especially Sakib as he is the main guy for Bangladesh,’ said Chigumbura.
‘In every team there is always a big guy who will be playing awesome but at the end of the day it’s about the team who plays well,’ he added.
Speaking to reporters on the sideline of Bangladesh practice session, Sakib, however, played down Chigumbura’s comments and said it will not put an added pressure on him.
‘I just heard about it from you. I don’t think it will bring any change in me. I will try to do what I do normally. It’s nothing more than that or less. I don’t like to say anything about it because it will not bring any result. You need to work for a result,’ Sakib said.
‘They played very good cricket in their last series [against South Africa]. We also played well against New Zealand. But we had the home advantage, which they did not have,’ he said.
‘Their batsmen played really well in South Africa. So our bowlers need to be cautious. I don’t think they are weaker than us in any sense. They are playing together for five to six years. If you look at the squad that toured in 2005, you will probably notice they are still here,’ Sakib said.
‘They came here several times. So it’s nothing like home or away to them. In that context they are no weaker than us,’ said the all-rounder.
