Bangladesh hope starts are a beginning

Bangladesh aren't used to dominating a series the way they have done against Zimbabwe. Consequently, players have found themselves in unfamiliar situations. So unfamiliar that Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's ODI captain, reckoned their batting wobble in the second ODI in Chittagong - they went from 158 for 0 to 204 for 6 - came about because their middle-order batsmen were unused to walking in after such a big opening stand.

"They don't normally come out to bat in such a good situation, so maybe they got confused."

To a team with Bangladesh's limited success, good starts with bat and ball are quite rare. With Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque putting on 100-plus opening stands in successive matches, and Mashrafe himself picking up early wickets in all three ODIs so far, it's understandable Bangladesh have been as puzzled as they have been pleased.

Obviously, though, Bangladesh would love such starts on a more regular basis. Six of their ten 100-plus opening stands have helped them win games while they have won 25 out of the 47 matches when their openers have put on 50 or more.

It's also important to note the paths Tamim and Anamul have traced over the last 12 months. Tamim had a wretched 2014 until he scored some runs in the Test series against West Indies. Before that, there was widespread talk of dropping him and Mushfiqur Rahim had to defend his position a number of times. Even after the Dhaka Test, when he made 0 and 5, he was severely criticised. He decided to stop speaking to the media and only broke his silence after scoring 109 in Chittagong, which was preceded by another century in the Khulna Test.

Tamim has made 5, 76 and 40 in the three ODIs so far and his batting has been quite different to what we have been used to seeing. There have been moments when he has gone on the attack but he has not stayed in that mood for too long. His strike-rate has been in the 70s and 60s in the last two games, and has preferred to accumulate rather than dazzle.

Anamul is Bangladesh's top ODI run-scorer this year, and sits just above Mushfiqur. He has been unable to hold down a Test place, but is a regular in the ODI and T20 teams, and has repaid the selectors' faith with regular runs at the top of the order.

Anamul scores his runs in a different way in ODIs, and not just differently from Tamim. He also likes to accumulate steadily, and waits for boundary balls rather than picking up a lot of singles. He scores a smaller percentage of his runs in singles than many of Bangladesh's past or current opening batsmen but he makes it up with patience for the long innings. All three of his ODI hundreds have come off more than 130 deliveries and his 95 against Zimbabwe in the third ODI took him 120 balls.

With the ball in hand, Mashrafe has been tight, and has regularly given the team quick wickets. In the first ODI, he changed his pace frequently, bowling plenty of slower balls, slightly quicker than slow off-cutters. He dismissed Brendan Taylor thanks to a Mushfiqur screamer and had Elton Chigumbura hitting straight to cover. Mashrafe complained of not finding proper body balance during the first game but in the second ODI, he bowled quicker and picked up three wickets, beating Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza with pace and length and surprising Sikandar Raza with bounce and a bit of movement off the pitch, getting him to pop one to cover off the leading edge.

Mashrafe's spell of 7-2-24-2 in the third ODI was probably his best of the series. Time and again he troubled Taylor with his tight line, always on the stumps. He was lucky to get Masakadza's wicket, the umpire ruling him caught behind when the ball came off his thigh pad, but his wicket of Vusi Sibanda came thanks to the consistent build-up of pressure that forced the batsman into a false shot.

Bangladesh would love these contributions to become more frequent. Mashrafe's fitness remains a key, leading up to the World Cup. He has had a regular spell in the side after a long time, and has bowled well against India, West Indies and now Zimbabwe. He is likely to remain the ODI captain as well, and gives an already charged-up cricketer - who missed the 2011 World Cup - enough ammunition to give it his all.

With the bat, Bangladesh won't mind the pace at which Tamim and Anamul score their runs, considering that they have a packed middle-order to accelerate later on. For now, what they will want from their openers is to keep giving them good starts. There is no alternative to starting well, not for Bangladesh at least.