AMONG the few things that have gone wrong for Bangladesh this year, their tour of Zimbabwe stands out.
They lost the one-off Test and the ODI series, while also losing their in-form fast bowler Nahid Rana to injury during that tour.
They return to face Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener in Abu Dhabi today, with the Sikandar Raza-led side clearly holding a recent edge.
Zimbabwe, however, are coming off a difficult ODI series against Australia last month.
They lost the series 3-0, having pushed the current world champions in the third ODI, which ended in a one-wicket defeat for the home side.
Zimbabwe, though, have a number of new performers coming up through the ranks alongside the experienced ones.
Raza, who continues to lead Zimbabwe in the absence of the injured Richard Ngarava, has Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor for experience, but the younger brigade — Brian Bennett, Ben Curran and Newman Nyamhuri — are expected to have big roles in this outing.
Brad Evans and Blessing Muzarabani will have a say with the new ball.
Bangladesh have most of their ODI protagonists back, except, of course, Rana. The 24-year-old has been sent to Perth for another check-up as he targets a return to competitive cricket later this month.
Litton Das, though, has plenty of bowling options, which is likely to give him a few headaches. Some big decisions lie ahead, as Mustafizur Rahman is at risk of losing his place after two poor performances in the Asian Games.
Litton himself returns as the ODI captain, having missed the away series against Zimbabwe in July.
He replaces Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who has so far handled his sacking quite well, at least through his on-field performances.
Litton could take a gamble with the mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam, too, especially after his impressive showing in the BPL over the last few years and a competent T20I debut recently.
Bangladesh also seemingly have batting depth, with Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar expected to be the opening pair.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy and Litton will form the middle order, with Mosaddek Hossain and Mehidy expected to bolster the lower order. They also have Saif Hassan and Nurul Hasan as bench strength.
In the spotlight: Litton Das and Brad Evans
Bangladesh will look to Litton Das, after his record-breaking Test performance earlier this week. Litton’s century, half-century and nine dismissals represent the first such instance for a wicketkeeper in Tests, coming at a time when he is about to take charge as ODI captain.
Litton has also shown good form in ODIs in 2026, having scored 300 runs in nine innings. He endured two extremely poor years in 2024 and 2025, when he scored six runs in as many matches.
Brad Evans has the chance to close in on Jofra Archer’s 2026 wicket tally. Evans is currently on 44 wickets, nine behind the England superstar.
In Zimbabwe’s last outing, against Australia in the home ODI series, Brad Evans took 4 for 47. Evans has been Zimbabwe’s highest wicket-taker in this format this year.
He has taken nine wickets against Australia, having already taken five against Bangladesh in July. Evans has been effective in Tests and T20Is, too, as he has made the most of his comeback from injury this year.
Will Bangladesh drop Mustafizur?
Litton will return to the playing XI, most likely in place of Nurul Hasan, but the big question mark hangs over Mustafizur, who had a shocker in the Asian Games recently.
If Mustafizur isn’t picked, it will be the first time he has been dropped from an ODI side in his career.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe women produced a spirited bowling performance to leave India reeling at 22 for four before the hosts recovered to secure a four-wicket victory in their T20 encounter yesterday.
After being sent in to bat, Zimbabwe posted 114 for five, with Kelis Ndhlovu and Sharne Mayers leading the scoring.
Ndhlovu struck seven fours in her 42 off 44 balls, while Mayers remained unbeaten on 43 from 33 deliveries, hitting four fours and two sixes to give Zimbabwe a competitive total.
India looked set for a comfortable chase after scoring 14 runs in the opening over, but Nyasha Gwanzura turned the contest on its head with three wickets in two overs.
Gwanzura dismissed Smriti Mandhana and Anushka Sharma in the second over before returning to remove Shafali Verma through a caught-and-bowled dismissal.
Michelle Mavunga also claimed a wicket as Zimbabwe reduced the hosts to 22 for four, raising hopes of a remarkable upset.
However, debutant Niki Prasad and Deepti Sharma steadied India’s innings with a match-winning partnership of 82 runs off 63 balls to guide the hosts home inside 16 overs.
Beloved Biza and Olinda Chare were also among Zimbabwe’s wicket-takers, but India’s recovery ultimately proved decisive. —Zimpapers Sports Hub/ Cricinfo.
