Shakib praises Bangladesh recovery

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, has praised the way his team bounced back after losing the opening ODI of their five-match series against Zimbabwe. The home side won the final ODI in Chittagong by six wickets, led by Tamim Iqbal's aggressive 95, which included seven sixes, to take the series 3-1, with one game washed out.

"We came back really hard at them, played really good cricket," Shakib said.

The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is among the venues for the World Cup, and Shakib was happy with the way the pitch played. "The track played really well though the outfield was slow. There was some spin later on but the batsmen handled it really well."

Along with Tamim, who recently returned from injury, Junaid Siddique was also among the runs, scoring a half-century. The improvement in the performance of the top order, Shakib said, was a satisfying development. "Our top order hasn't been scoring runs, today they did and I'm happy about that. Our fast bowlers have bowled well in the last couple of games and the fielding has been good. Though we have dropped some catches, our body language has been good."

Bangladesh have now won two consecutive ODI series - the first being the 4-0 whitewash of New Zealand - and are faring well in their preparation of the World Cup. This year began on a poor note for them, with 14 straight losses, before a maiden ODI over England triggered a change in fortune. They take on Canada and Pakistan, in Chittagong and Mirpur respectively - days prior to their first World Cup game, against India on February 19.