Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes urged on Thursday his charges to guard against complacency when they take on Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series starting October 21, reports Cricbuzz.
Zimbabwe were recently crushed by South Africa in both the limited-overs formats - whitewashed 3-0 in the ODIs and 2-0 in the T20s with the last game being abandoned.
However, Zimbabwe would be looking to get back on their feet in Bangladesh, where they played as recently as in January, in a tri-nation ODI series also involving Sri Lanka.
"Zimbabwe got a beating in South Africa. No team likes that. I expect a wounded animal," Rhodes told reporters at Mirpur on Thursday. "They will be fighting for their [pride] and I expect tough opposition.
"They may turn it on against us after the kick-back from South Africa. We are very guarded but we are also very determined to try and play our best cricket," he added.
Rhodes added that the unavailability of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan due to their respective injuries can be a blessing in disguise as it will help them understand the depth of their talent pool. "We know we are two players light. Our process will be to make sure that we do our duty well. We don't have to worry about the opposition. I see it as a real positive. It is opportunities for other people," said Rhodes.
"If those guys grab their chance, it would show we have depth in our squad. If there is competition for places, people will always try to perform at their best. It is a healthy thing. We want depth," he added.
Rhodes said that he is confident that their bowling department will not be hugely affected by the absence of Shakib as other spinners are getting into the groove. "Apu [Nazmul Islam] is a quality spin bowler and he has shown that in the shortest format and we know that he can do well in the ODI format.
