Bangladesh Squad for Zimbabwe T20Is: Bangladesh Cricket Board have announced their squad for the first three T20Is of the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh 2024 scheduled to begin in Chattogram on May 3.
A total of 5 T20Is will be played between May 3 and 12 across two different venues in Bangladesh.
BCB excluded Mustafizur Rahman from the squad for the first three T20Is who will return from IPL following his last game against Punjab Kings on May 1. Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) extended Mustafizur Rahman’s NOC till May 1 to play for Chennai Super Kings(CSK) in IPL 2024.
For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman has played 91 T20Is and bagged 107 wickets at an economy of 7.63 which includes 1 five-wicket haul.
Shakib who recently recovered from an eye problem also opted out of the first three T20I as the allrounder wanted to play in Dhaka Premier League to prepare for international cricket.
With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in focus, the squad is bolstered by the addition of Saifuddin, who has played 34 T20Is for Bangladesh, the last of which came in October 2022.
Saifuddin returns after a long injury layoff and recently featured for Fortune Barishal in their title winning campaign in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Bangladesh Squad for Zimbabwe T20Is: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, Shaif Uddin
BCB selection panel member Hannan Sarkar said that Shakib wants to play DPL and as a result they included Afif Hossain.
“Shakib is expected to come on April 30 and he desired to play two DPL games and we felt it can be good as in T20 format you don’t get time to get ready in the middle and he can have that time,” said Hannan on Sunday.
“Mustafizur is not in the squad as he is playing for long time. He played BPL and Sri Lanka T20 series and later moved to IPL. He is playing for long time and he needs recovery, both mental and physical. Our chief selector spoke with him and he wanted recovery time in one portion of the series and we did not include him in the first three games. We might include him in the second portion meaning the last two T20Is,” he added.
