Bangladesh vs. Zimbabwe: 1st ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Bangladesh and Zimbabwe meet in the first one-day international of their five-match series on Friday, with the hosts fresh from a 3-0 victory in the concluded Test series. 

Venue: Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

Date: Friday, Nov. 21

Start time: 7:30 a.m. GMT/1:30 p.m. local

Live on: GTV (Bangladesh), SuperSport (Zimbabwe and sub-Saharan Africa), Star Cricket (India), Geo Super (Pakistan), Willow TV (USA)

Weather: The Weather Channel is forecasting a fine and sunny day, with the top temperature set to reach 29 degrees Celsius during the afternoon. 

Overview

It's been a miserable calendar year for both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, but the two teams will enter Friday's first one-day international in Chittagong in vastly contrasting moods.

For the hosts, the vibe is suddenly more positive than it's been in a long time, following their emphatic clean sweep in the Test series that put a stop to a catastrophic 2014. 

The visitors, meanwhile, come into this contest utterly deflated, having been unsuccessful in all five games on tour thus far while looking nothing like the side that pulled off a remarkable victory over Australia in late August. 

A.M. Ahad/Associated Press

Naturally, therefore, Bangladesh enter Friday's clash as strong favourites, particularly given the impressive form of Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque and Tamim Iqbal, who are all likely to be included in the hosts' XI for the first ODI.

Perhaps the only major issue for the home team to navigate through is Mashrafe Mortaza's return to the captaincy after the sacking of Mushfiqur Rahim. 

Squads

Bangladesh

Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Arafat Sunny, Imrul Kayes, Jubair Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal

Zimbabwe

Elton Chigumbura (c), Regis Chakabva (wk), Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Natsai M'shangwe, Richmond Mutumbami, John Nyumbu, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor, Malcolm Waller, Neville Madziva, Timycen Maruma, Solomon Mire, Peter Moor, Tawanda Mupariwa, Brian Vitori

Key Players

Bangladesh

In all formats, Shakib is undoubtedly Bangladesh's finest performer, but it's in the limited-overs formats where he's at his best. 

A dashing middle-order batsmen, the left-hander has the capacity to quickly take the game away from Zimbabwe if he hits a rhythm, while his left-arm spin proved too much for the visitors in the Test series.

If we see more of that on Friday, Bangladesh will quickly assume control of this 50-over campaign. 

Zimbabwe

Only the Flower brothers and Alistair Campbell have more ODI runs for Zimbabwe than Brendan Taylor, but the keeper-batsman has endured a difficult year in 2014 that continued during his side's Test series defeat. 

With Zimbabwe short of runs and looking out of answers to the hosts' spin-based attack, Taylor needs to be among those leading the charge with the bat for the visitors.