Khulna, Bangladesh: Bangladesh expects a tougher challenge from Zimbabwe in the second test starting from today as the hosts seek to clinch the three-match series and leapfrog their opponents in the ICC cricket rankings.
Victory in Khulna will give Bangladesh an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-test series and the 9th spot for test-playing countries.
However, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim wants his team to keep its focus.
"Ranking is an issue definitely but, if we let it get into our head, I think we'll be distracted from the process," Mushfiqur said. "Their spinners are inexperienced (from) what we have observed in the first test. So our plan is to exploit their inexperienced bowling attack."
He warned against complacency after Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in three days in the first test, dismissing the tourists in their second innings for 114 before reaching its run chase with an unimpressive 101-7.
"Zimbabwe is not an easy prey. That is evidenced on the way they fought hard with just 100 runs on board, even though our batsmen had some mistakes," Mushfiqur said.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor called it a "must-win game" and predicted a potentially high-scoring test.
"It's a new game, new ground, and we are looking forward to the challenge," Taylor said. "It will spin but it won't bounce as much. So if we apply ourselves, it's a ground where you can score a lot of runs."
While Bangladesh can't be matched by Zimbabwe in the spin department, Taylor is relying on his seamers to deliver.
"We proved to be a good unit in Dhaka with our seam bowlers," Taylor said. "We have got what we've got and we've got to make use of it."
