Bangladesh’s tour to Zimbabwe kicks off its limited-overs leg with a 3-match ODI series scheduled at the Harare Sports Club. Here are all the statistics you need to know about the venue, as we cover the Harare Sports Club’s pitch report, weather prediction, and ODI records in this space.
Bangladesh will be savoring their chances of a consecutive series whitewash over their African rivals. They will, however, be without the services of Mushfiqur Rahim, one of their most experienced campaigners. The team management will try to mitigate his absence by playing as many all-rounders as they can, which could mean batting promotions for some of their lower-order batsmen like Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Mohammed Saifuddin. Fans can expect Bangladesh to experiment with certain aspects of their game in this series; although they will be wary of being complacent, because even one loss in this series can have serious implications on their second-rank on the ODI Super League points table.
Hosts Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will try to address the consistency factor that has eluded them for so long. Despite registering a couple of impressive one-off wins in the white-ball format, overall, their performance as a collective group has been quite disappointing. There are a few positives, though, that the red-jersey-clad men will be grateful for; none bigger than the return of veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza to the team. Add to that, fast-bowler Blessing Muzarabani’s sensational form in the recently concluded PSL. Although the bowling lineup will be slightly offset, as all-rounder Roy Kaia recently got reported for suspect action, which could inhibit him from bowling on a regular basis.
Harare Sports Club ODI Records
Teams chasing totals have enjoyed a slightly better time at this ground. Generally speaking, the ground hasn’t historically been a high-scoring one, with both the average first and second innings totals reading under 250. The only time a team managed to cross 350 on this surface was in 2014 (Australia vs Zimbabwe).
| Total matches | 152 |
| Matches won batting first | 73 |
| Matches won bowling first | 76 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 228 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 193 |
| Highest total recorded | 350/6 (50 Ov) by AUS vs ZIM |
| Lowest total recorded | 35/10 (18 Ov) by ZIM vs SL |
| Highest score chased | 328/3 (46.4 Ov) by RSA vs AUS |
| Lowest score defended | 129/10 (32.4 Ov) by ZIM vs AFG |
Harare Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
Like most African decks, the surface at HSC is more conducive towards pacers, especially the ones reliant on swinging the ball. The grassy nature of the surface provides great assistance to quick-bowlers early on in the match. Factoring this with the better record of teams batting second, it becomes clear that the captain winning the toss should opt to bowl first.
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Harare Report for 16 July
Friday’s weather at the HSC is expected to be slightly cloudy with moderate wind. Chances of rain are almost negligible at 10% precipitation. Fans can expect to catch an entertaining match of cricket on a cool, slightly humid day.