Bangladesh got off to a flying start in the ICC Under-19 World Cup crushing Zimbabwe by nine wickets in their first rain-interrupted match at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom in South Africa on Saturday.

Sent in to bat first, Zimbabwe scored 137 runs for the loss of six wickets in 28.1 overs before the play was halted due to rain with number three batsman T Tarumani scoring 31, Milton Shumba 28 and Emmanuel Bawa 27 runs.

Earlier, Zimbabwe made a good start scoring 68 in 11 overs for the loss of two wickets

Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan took one wicket each for the young Tigers.

In reply, Bangladesh’s revised target was fixed at 130 runs in 22 overs and Bangladesh easily reached their target scoring 132 runs for the loss of one wicket in just 11.2 overs.

Opener Pervez Hossain Emon quick-fired unbeaten 58 runs off 33 balls featuring five fours and two sixes and was adjudged the man of the match.

Besides, opener Tanzid Hasan contributed 32 runs and Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored not out 38 runs for the young Tigers.

D Myers took lone wicket giving away 26 runs.

In the remaining Group C match, Bangladesh will face Scotland on January 21 and face Pakistan on January 24.

Bangladesh started their ICC Under-19 World Cup campaign on Sunday taking on Zimbabwe at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom in South Africa. However, rain halted the game after 28.1 overs.

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. Zimbabwe managed a good start scoring 68 in 11 overs for two wickets.

But they lost some more wickets in the middle. Before the rain stopped the game, Zimbabwe were batting on 137 for six in 28.1 overs.

Zimbabwe openers- Wesley Madhevere (18) and Emmanuel Bawa (27) - failed to come up with any big score in spite.

Number three batsman Milton Shumba (31) also made a good start but disappointed to capitalise on it.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan took one wicket each for the young Tigers.

As per the latest update at 7:19pm (Bangladesh time), the game is yet to resume.

Bangladesh playing XI: Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Towhid Hridoy, Shahadat Hossain, Akbar Ali (c & wk), Shamim Hossain, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan, Shoriful Islam

Zimbabwe playing XI: Emmanuel Bawa, Wesley Madhevere, Milton Shumba, Dion Myers (c), Tadiwanashe Marumani, Luke Oldknow, Dane Schadendorf (wk), Taurayi Tugwete, Sakhumuzi Ndlela, Dylan Grant, Tadiwanashe Nyangani

Mahedi Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto are eager to prove their mettle in the upcoming T20 International series against Pakistan starting from January 24.

Mahmudullah Riyad will lead the Bangladesh side in the upcoming T20I series. Bangladesh team will fly for Pakistan on January 23 to play a three-match T20 series in Lahore on January 24, 25 and 27.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced T20 squad of the Tigers against Pakistan series on Saturday including Mahedi and Shanto in the squad.

Mahedi and Najmul were picked up in the squad considering their terrific performances in the just-concluded Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 Cricket.

Mahedi scored 253 runs in 13 matches with three fifties and took 12 wickets as well while Najmul piled up 308 runs with a century and a fifty. Najmul came to the limelight with a ton which was only the 5th century by a Bangladeshi batsman in the BPL history.

“It’s good that I’ve finally managed to return to the national team. But I wasn’t eager to get into the team. I’ve to play according to team management’s instruction and will try my best to be a regular member of the national team,” Mahedi told the media.

Shanto also expressed that he is keen to prove his prowess for the national side with good performance.

“I was never worried about my comeback in the national team. I just focused on my game. I’ve practiced a lot to improve my performance. I will try to keep playing better cricket for the national team,” Shanto told the media after being recalled in the senior national side.

Like any fan of the game, Mark Boucher wants the International Cricket Council to find a balance when regulating how players - and especially aggressive fast bowlers like Kagiso Rabada - display their emotions on the field so as not to over-sanitize the sport.

"Don't take the emotion out of the game because I still think there is a very big part for that in the game of cricket," South Africa's head coach said.

There should be little argument over that. But while making that point, Boucher also conceded that Rabada maybe went too far when he celebrated, screaming and with fists pumping, right in front of Joe Root after bowling the England captain in the ongoing third test in Port Elizabeth.

The incident has put reasonably new ICC regulations guiding how and where players vent their emotions on the cricket field back under scrutiny.

The 24-year-old Rabada, a star of the sport, received a demerit or disciplinary point for his over-zealous celebration. An accumulation of those points led to him being banned for what will be the series-deciding fourth and final test next week. That robs the finale to a hotly contested fight between two old cricketing foes of one of the world's best bowlers.

There's been criticism of the rules and the suspension of Rabada. He was charged and punished by cricket's ruling body for "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter."

Some question if the ICC is going too far and trying to restrict players showing their feelings.

But Rabada wouldn't have been disciplined if he celebrated in the same way a meter or two to the left or right of Root. His venting right in front of Root — "yes, he was in his space," Boucher admitted — was the problem because it was deemed provocative. Rabada appeared to intentionally head straight for Root.

And this is where the criticism that the ICC is removing emotion from cricket might be misplaced.

Because Rabada, young, energetic and fiercely competitive, has celebrated plenty of wickets this series with equal zealousness, just not right in the face of an opposing player. And the ICC hasn't had any issue with it.

That's surely the balance Boucher and other coaches and players are calling for.

Another incident from this series saw England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler fined for his expletive-laden taunting of South Africa's Vernon Philander in the second test in Cape Town. On-field sledging between players is far from new in cricket, but Buttler's swearing was caught on a stump microphone and broadcast fairly clearly to a live TV audience of all ages.

Buttler was fined, a move also criticized by some commentators and former players, though the ICC does not appear unreasonable in its concerns over swear words ringing out on live TV during a game.

There's evidence of some balance from cricket officials in this regard, too. When Buttler walked out to bat on Friday, the South Africans greeted him with some words of their own - there may or may not have been expletives — but nothing was caught on any microphone.

Most cricketers see sledging, within reason, as a part of the game and the ICC isn't going to be taking any action against anyone for Buttler's fiery welcome because it all stayed on the field among the players. Their business.

As Ollie Pope, the other England batter out there when Buttler arrived, said: "What's said on the pitch stays on the pitch, unless the stump mics pick up on it.

"Obviously there would have been a bit of a hostile environment but that's only natural, that's cricket. Two countries are battling it out. It was all good."

It was all good for the ICC also, which seems to have found some balance between those two sledging incidents.

Boucher made clear he had issues with some of the finer points of the regulations, including being unable to appeal low-level offenses like Rabada's that resulted in him being banned only because he has committed similar offenses three times previously in the last two years.

But Boucher also conceded: "KG (Rabada) knows what he can and cannot do and he maybe just pushed a little bit too far."

Bangladesh stalwart and former captain Mushfiqur Rahim revealed that he will not be available for the entire away series against Pakistan as he didn’t get the permission from the  family for the tour.

But the 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman also said that he will tour Pakistan only if their security situation gets better and remains consistent.

“I have already informed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)  that I am not going to Pakistan for the upcoming series. I have submitted an official letter, and BCB accepted that. Not just T20Is, I am unavailable for the entire series,” Mushfiqur told the media after the final of just-concluded Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday.

“My family is afraid of the security condition of Pakistan. In this situation, I can’t go to Pakistan and play cricket there. It is always tough for me to sit down from a series of Bangladesh national team,” he added.

Mushfiqur also said that he had a proposal to play in Pakistan Super League (PSL) but he refused it because of the event will take place in Pakistan this time around.

“My family is not permitting me to go to Pakistan. Cricket is not bigger than the life. But at the same time, I would like to say that the situation of Pakistan is better than before. I toured Pakistan in 2008 before that incident (terror attack on Sri Lankan team in 2009). Pakistan is a wonderful place to play cricket. The wickets of Pakistan are batting-friendly and I will miss playing there. But if the situation gets better and remains better consistently, I would definitely love to go to Pakistan to play cricket,” Mushfiqur added.

Mushfiqur believes his vacant place will be filled easily and who will get chance will try his best for Bangladesh team. He concluded by saying: “There are many players who did well in BPL and in India series. I will expect them to play well in the upcoming series as well. It’s an opportunity for the young guys. It’s really tough to play good cricket against a team like Pakistan in their home. But I believe the boys will pose a strong challenge.”