The second and final Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will begin today at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram. However, unlike the first game, there will be some stakes involved, and the credit for that goes to the Tigers, whose penchant for making things interesting in the most puzzling way once again came through.

Only by losing the first Test in Sylhet could Bangladesh have fans, and everyone else, turn their focus towards themselves for a series that nearly experienced a media blackout, forcing the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to get state-run BTV as the broadcast partner.

There are a few theories behind this lack of interest from broadcasters and fans, ranging from the current volatile state of the advertisement market to a lack of star power in the current Bangladesh team.

But arguably the chief reason behind it was the absence of any notable stakes. Simply put, fans had no reason to care about the series.

This series is not part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle, meaning the outcomes from here have no greater implications. The Zimbabwe-Bangladesh cricket rivalry has also tapered off, so generating fan interest using that angle is also out of question.

What could have really squashed any and all interest surrounding the series was if Bangladesh completely demolished Zimbabwe in the first Test, which would have given wind to the notion that the BCB arranged the series only to help the team rack up easy wins and it would have also made the second Test feel like a mere formality.

Instead, the hosts got outplayed by Zimbabwe and are at risk of suffering their first home Test series defeat to Zimbabwe in over 23 years, spicing up the series that should have been a dull affair in the process.

The last time the Tigers lost a Test series at home to Zimbabwe was in 2001, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the two-match series. It also remains their only Test series defeat to Zimbabwe as hosts.

The narrow margin of the defeat in the Sylhet Test gives an impression that it was an evenly-matched contest, but that is far from the truth. Barring the stutter in the last hour or so of the match, Zimbabwe controlled the game and came out as the deserved winner.

The fact that a full-strength Bangladesh could not beat a team that had not won a Test in almost four years is alarming. What is even more alarming is that they have now lost their last six Tests at home.

Ironically, their form away from home has been encouraging, as they have defeated New Zealand and the West Indies once and Pakistan twice in away Tests in the last 18 months.

But while the away Test wins make it seem like Bangladesh have taken a step forward in the five-day format, their six-match losing streak at home, which last happened to them from December 2008 to March 2010, indicates they have gone two steps back.

If their home woes continue for one more game, it will become their second-longest losing streak at home behind the 13 straight defeats on home soil right up until their maiden Test win in 2005, which ironically had come against Zimbabwe and that too in Chattogram.

With BTV telecasting the matches, this series had a retro vibe to it from the start. And after the defeat in the first Test, Bangladesh are set to face Zimbabwe in a high-stakes match, after rekindling a rivalry only how they could.