Zimbabwe prepare for 'must-win' series

Zimbabwe's coach Walter Chawaguta has upped the pressure on his team by labelling next month's one-day series against Bangladesh a "must-win" contest.

"We're in camp with a training squad of about 30 players which is inclusive of the Zimbabwe-A players who will play against Bangladesh in the warm up matches," Chawaguta told the Sunday Mail.

"Over the past week our focus was on getting rid of the rust that comes with not playing the game for a long time so we have spent most of our time working on the basics. This coming week we will be getting into the nets with the tempo picking up gradually."

Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwe's captain, admitted that his side had "lost too many times to Bangladesh". He continued: "We need to have a killer punch. That cannot be taught or practised. Guys have to be hungry. There is pressure on everyone to perform."

The four-ODI series will be played entirely in Bulawayo, a move aimed at stifling complaints that Zimbabwe cricket was centring all activities around Harare.

Chawaguta was reappointed as coach in January on a one-year contract after ZC readvertised the position.