Bangladesh are set to host Zimbabwe next month for what seems like the umpteenth time, a series that from the host team's point of view is an opportunity to work out some kinks before the all-important ICC Twenty World Cup in June. 

The Zimbabwe team arrived in Bangladesh yesterday for the five-match T20 series, which will begin on May 3 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

The Tigers are approaching this assignment as more of a preparatory series, evidenced by talks of making Shakib Al Hasan, the team's most experienced T20 player, play only two or three matches in the latter stage and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Khaled Mahmud Sujon telling the media that Bangladesh do not need Mustafizur Rahman to win the series.

The country's cricket fans are also viewing this as a filler series.

The general perception among the fans is that whenever the Tigers are in a rut, struggling to find a win, they invite the Zimbabweans over or make a trip to the African nation to score some wins, boost up their confidence, and quieten the barrage of criticism.

This perception is gaining wind considering Zimbabwe are not even part of the next ICC T20 World Cup as the Test nation failed to qualify for the 20-team event -- the biggest-ever edition of the tournament in terms of team participation.

Even if the Tigers dominate the visitors in the forthcoming series, it would be fair to question whether these victories would prepare them for the challenges that are waiting in the Caribbean and the USA.

However, the perception of Zimbabwe being a pushover for Bangladesh in the shortest format is far from reality as recent results have shown the margin between the two teams is not that large.

The Zimbabwe team have been struggling to make it to ICC events for a few years now, missing the cut in the 16-team 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and last year's 10-team ODI World Cup in India. But during this period, the Zimbabweans have held their own very well against the Tigers in the shortest format, having won three of their seven T20Is against Bangladesh since 2021.

Two of the three wins came in 2022, the last bilateral T20 series between the two countries, which Zimbabwe won 2-1.
The last T20 match between the two sides happened in the previous T20 World Cup, where Bangladesh escaped by the skin of their teeth to secure a nervy three-run win in Brisbane, Australia.

Even at home, Bangladesh have never outright dominated Zimbabwe in the format.

Bangladesh have hosted the Zimbabweans for three bilateral series since a one-off match in 2006, which they won. The Tigers drew the series in 2015 (1-1) and 2016 (2-2), at a time when they were going through their best-ever period in the other white-ball format.

Bangladesh finally won a T20I home series against Zimbabwe in 2020 (2-0).

Even in terms of recent form, the two teams are almost in an identical position. The two teams' only other T20 series this year was against the same opposition, Sri Lanka, and both teams suffered an identical 2-1 defeat.

However, while Bangladesh lost against the Lankans at home, the Zimbabweans managed to eke out a win in Sri Lanka.

In reality, Bangladesh have been coasting on the rankings boost they received in T20s after the series wins over second-string Australia and New Zealand teams in 2021 on murky conditions at home, which ensured their qualification in the 2022 T20 World Cup, despite their abysmal showing in the 2021 edition and also came in handy in qualifying for the forthcoming edition.

Whatever the perception maybe, the reality is that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are not that far off in T20s, which is yet another example of how far the Tigers are lagging from the best in the shortest format.