Curran expects BD will come ‘hard’

Zimbabwe’s Ben Curran on Saturday urged his team to maintain a focus in front of the second and final test against Bangladesh, scheduled to begin on Sunday.

Zimbabwe, on Wednesday, recorded their first trial victory since 2018, with Bangladeshi’s past with three wickers.

Coincidentally, their previous triumph had also come to the same space and in the opposition.

The African side also broke their record for the highest successful hunt runs in the process, surpassing the previous best of the 162 who achieved against Pakistan in November 1998.

Despite the historic victory in the opener in the series, Curran believes that the hosts would be harsh in the next accessory and thus emphasized the need for his teammates to work hard to achieve performance.

“We expect that Bangladesh will come very hard to us. We don’t expect this to be an easy game. We have to work hard for any moment. We can make a similar performance to the last game,” Curran said.

The victory was also a personal milestone for Curran, as it was his first test victory since making the red ball in early 2024.

The left opener scored a medium 18 in the first entries, but supported a significant 44-spinning hit that came in a critical 95-spinning stand with Brian Bennett.

“It’s a great feeling, having put a lot of hard work leading to the series. Obviously, the series has not been done, there is a big game that will come in the next few days.

“Tests they always win give children confidence. Everyone is going to get a different learning than Sylhet victory. As long as we are willing to move on as individuals, we are in a good position.

“I’m relatively young at the international cricket, so I’m like a sponge I try to learn as much as I can from Sean and Craig, it will help my growth, I will be a fool if I didn’t try to take advantage of their experience,” he acknowledged.

Bangladeshi a group

Bangladesh’s Critical Council (BCB) announced on Saturday that Pace Bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been included in 15 -member Bangladesh a team for the first two days of one day against New Zealand I, as part of the preparations for his return to the international.

Mustafizur recently reiterated the competitive cricket after a period of rest after a platelet -rich plasma infusion (PRP) administered on March 12.

PRP therapy involves injecting a concentrated dose of a patient’s platelets into an injured area to accelerate healing, reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

The left arm made his return to the continuing Dhaka Premier League (DPL), the top list of Bangladesh, who represents Mohammedan Sporting Club during the Super League phase. So far, Mustafizur has played three matches and got five wicked in the tournament.

“He (Mustafizur) was out of cricket for a while. So I brought him to the team to make him ready for the upcoming international accessory,” said BCB Gazi Ashraf Hossain.

Bangladesh a team has a mixture of experienced players and emerging talents. Along with Mustafizur, experienced crickets such as Anamul Haque Bijoy, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan and Mosaddek Hossain Saikat have been included.

“We expect the series to be particularly competitive and we have also brought some experienced fighters such as Mossadek and Sohan just to make sure they are not out of our radar,” he said.

Although BCB has not officially called the captain, Cricbuzz understands that Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan is likely to lead the side given his experience and antiquity.

New Zealand A is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on May 1st for a tour that includes three -day matches and two four -day games played in Sylhet and Dhaka.

The one -day series will begin on May 5 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (sics), with the second and third match set for May 7 and 10, respectively.

After limited lighting, the teams will go to a red ball cricket, with the first four-day race scheduled for May 14-17 in Sylhet.

The series will end with the second four-day match at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on May 21-24.

Bangladesh a team (first and second -day matches):

Parvez Hossain Emon, MD. Naim Sheikh, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Saif Hasan, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Nayeem, Nayeem, Ebadot Hossdhain, Shorulfular Isla Rahman, Rahar Raman Raza.