Confident that we can put Bangladesh under pressure: Dion Ebrahim

Zimbabwean assistant coach Dion Ebrahim backed Sean Williams despite his dismissal by playing a sweep shot in their first innings against Bangladesh.

Williams, who scored back-to-back fifties on this tour, got out on 67 trying to play a paddle sweep off Nayeem Hasan.

"I'm not disappointed by the shot selection nor by the decision to play it. Williams is a world-class player of spin, and the sweep shot is one of his more successful options against spin," Ebrahim said.

"Was it the right shot to play? Definitely. Probably just poor execution on that occasion, but not the wrong choice," he said.

Nick Welch, who retired hurt on 54, had severe cramps.

"Nick suffered from severe cramps in both his forearms and hamstrings. Just before the tea break, it gradually got worse – you would have seen him getting treatment on the field. He came into the dressing room at tea, and we tried to administer more treatment. Unfortunately, after tea, his condition regressed quite quickly. So he had to retire himself out, hoping to recover fast enough to return later," said Ebrahim.

Ebrahim said that they would have liked to add another 40-50 runs to the scoreboard in their first innings, but added that they are quite excited to see what their spinners are capable of with the wicket assisting turn.

"Obviously, we're a bit disappointed. We would've liked to have scored another 40-50 runs. It's definitely a different challenge. We knew coming into Chattogram that the wicket would turn, and we were prepared for these conditions and several of our players have been here before, so it's not a surprise," he said.

"However, considering the pitch was taking a turn right from the first session, we're still optimistic. We brought in an extra spinner for a reason. Until both teams have batted in their first innings, I think the game remains evenly balanced," he said.

"We are confident that our attack can put the Bangladesh batters under pressure. As I said, the pitch is already offering a significant turn," he said.

Zimbabwe would be eager to see their debutant leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa shine.