Sports Desk:

Bangladesh’s two-Test series against Zimbabwe is set to commence in Sylhet on Sunday at a time when fan interest on any sort of cricketing engagement between these two sides is arguably at an all-time low.

The days when the entire country took notice of a Bangladesh-Zimbabwe series are long gone. The level of interest has dipped so much that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not been able to find a broadcaster for the series at the time this report was filed.

Even though this rivalry has degraded to such an extent that calling it a rivalry feels like a stretch, Zimbabwe, as opponents, have played an important role in Bangladesh’s cricketing journey.

In Bangladesh’s initial decades as a cricketing nation, it was always playing catch up with Zimbabwe, trying to follow in the footsteps of their African counterparts.

But as the Tigers gained the upper hand, every match against Zimbabwe has become an opportunity to improve their overall record in international cricket, and if one takes the Zimbabwe matches out of the equation, Bangladesh’s poor record becomes even poorer, especially in Tests.

EVOLUTION OF A RIVALRY

Bangladesh’s dynamic with Zimbabwe in cricket has changed in every decade.

In the 1980s, when Bangladesh were just starting out, Zimbabwe were a top side at the Associate level, having won the ICC Trophy three consecutive times in 1982, 86 and 90.

In the following decade, the Tigers first ventured into the big leagues, having won the ICC Trophy in 1997 to qualify for the World Cup the following year and earning their Test status in 2000 — eight years after Zimbabwe had entered the Test arena.

In the noughties, Zimbabwe were Bangladesh’s worthy adversaries, a tough opponent but not a team that can’t be beaten, until the mass exodus of top Zimbabwean cricketers in protest of government interference which preceded Bangladesh’s historic maiden Test and series win in 2005.

Soon after that defeat, began Zimbabwe’s self-imposed six-year sabbatical from Tests that same year, after which Bangladesh gained the upper hand.

Since the 2010s, the Tigers have mostly dominated the African side with some hiccups along the way, and the scale of the dominance has grown larger with time, especially in Tests.

Bangladesh have won seven out of the last eight Tests they have played against the Zimbabweans, with the only defeat coming in Sylhet in November 2018.

With these victories, the Tigers stamped their authority over Zimbabwe in the five-day format and have also somewhat improved their sorry stats in the format.

BANGLADESH IN TESTS WITH AND WITHOUT ZIMBABWE

Barring Afghanistan and Ireland, among teams that are still new to the Test arena, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are the worst in the format by a stretch.

Overall, Bangladesh’s win percentage in the format is just 14.67, only better than Zimbabwe’s 10.74 percent.

But when it comes to draws and losses, Bangladesh have done worse than Zimbabwe overall as the Tigers have drawn 12 percent of their matches to Zimbabwe’s 24.79 and have lost 73.33 percent games to Zimbabwe’s 64.46.

However, Bangladesh’s stats have hugely benefitted from the 18 Tests they have played against Zimbabwe as without those matches, they are far worse off in the format.

Bangladesh have won eight, lost seven and drawn three Tests against Zimbabwe so far. If one takes away the wins against Zimbabwe, the Tigers’ win percentage in Tests dips to 10.61 and draw percentage becomes 11.36.

A CHANCE TO STAT-PAD?

With the forthcoming series not even being a part of the ICC Test Championship, the only benefit Bangladesh can get out of it is to win both games and slightly improve their overall stats.

However, if Bangladesh slip up against a team that has not won a Test since 2021, it would cause much alarm and maybe spice up an otherwise stale rivalry.