DHAKA: Bangladesh are famished for ODI success in 2014 and the new captain Mashrafe Mortaza hopes to use the momentum from the Test series to turn things around.
His side has been winless in 50-over cricket this year, losing 12 out of 13 with one game abandoned in June, reports the espncricinfo.com.
"We played quite badly this year so I can't say that we were in a so-so position," Mashrafe said.
"This is the time to comeback especially before the World Cup, so we are all focused,” he added. “We won the Test series very well. This will definitely increase our confidence, especially for those who played well. This will also affect the whole team because we haven't played any bad game in the series.”
The first match against Zimbabwe in Chittagong will kick off Mashrafe's second stint as ODI captain after the first was ended by injury four years ago.
Not only that, Bangladesh have blanked Zimbabwe in a five-match series in 2006 and have won four out of the six such series played between the two sides. But, according to the ESPN crickinfo, their current form is also a positive, but Mashrafe was not keen on making predictions.
"Captaincy is a challenge, but because the Test series has gone well that might help," he said. "However, it doesn't mean that we will win all the five games. We have to play well in the field, like we did in the Tests. Plans will be changed and now we have to execute them. If we can do that all then it will be good.”
"Firstly, people may have expected 3-0 [in Tests] but no one could say for sure that we would win this 3-0 until it actually happened,” said Mashrafe. “We played well that's why 3-0 happened. Honestly speaking, I am not thinking of 5-0 because the first two matches are important. If we can do well here [in Chittagong], then we can go and confirm the series in Dhaka.”
"But before that we have to start well. We lost close games this year. I think it's good to go with one game at a time. Once we win a game then everything will fall into place. So the first match is very important. I won't talk about the 5-match series. One match is important and then the series," according to the Bangladesh ace.
However, Bangladesh's composition might be adjusted to account for dew at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Mashrafe has first-hand knowledge of its effect from when he had stepped in as captain for two T20s against Sri Lanka in January and struggled with the amount of moisture on the outfield. Winter is approaching and temperatures are dropping every day as well, but Mashrafe doesn't want to focus on external factors.
"There is a lot of dew here, which might be a problem," he said. "But then there are two teams who will have to adjust to the situation. We have to plan and go ahead. And I believe that we can do well. We don't want to go into the negative side of it all. We have to believe that we have to bowl well in the dew.”
"We haven't discussed [our comibnation] as yet. Nothing has been confirmed. Shakib, [Arafat] Sunny or Jubair [Hossain] are genuine spinners so they will face problems in the dew," he concluded.
BDST: 0505 HRS, NOV 21, 2014
