Minnows swimming against the tide
The cricketing world's collective eye may be trained on the England-India series, but an equally important series is underway in Harare
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
The cricketing world's collective eye may be trained on the England-India series, but an equally important series is underway in Harare. The Wall Street Journal's Richard Lord outlines the importance of the Zimbabwe-Bangladesh one-off Test, given the routine difficulties faced by Test cricket's also-rans.
Limited-overs internationals expose players to quality opposition, but not in a way that equips them for the challenges of a five-day game. This Zimbabwe side has been quite competitive at One-Day International level, but that's largely because of its battery of slow bowlers; now the team finds itself facing a format where a line-up of solid seam bowlers, something it notably lacks, is the foundation of most strong outfits. Bangladesh, likewise, play far more limited-overs than Test cricket, and again its spinners have been its most potent weapons, thanks to the country's low and slow home pitches. Away from home, particularly in Tests, Bangladesh's bowlers have consistently struggled.
Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo