Bangladesh in search for best combination for the World Cup
Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are all set to test each other in the three-match ODI series starting from 21 October with a day-night affair at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. Bangladesh will be focusing on finding the best combination for the World Cup that is scheduled to be played next year in England.
Bangladesh have no worries for about five to eight places of the team. But, they have to find the most suitable options for other places. They are in deep concern to find the best option for the number six and seven positions.
In the series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh will surely find the best option for the two mentioned positions. In the pre-series press conference, Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain revealed the team's main interest in the forthcoming series.
"We have some players who are all set to play the World Cup next year if there are no further obstacles. If you ask me to say their name, I would love to go for Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad. The young guys like Mustafizur Rahman, Liton Das have also proved themselves. We are confident to go with them. But, we have some positions where we can look for some back-ups." Mashrafe Mortaza said.
"We can take chances with Saifuddin and Fazle Rabbi who are included in this series. As you all know that Shakib is suffering from an injury, and if he faces any further problem, we have to look for a player who can replace him. We know that it is not possible in a short time, but we have to grab the chances. We will love to test each player one by one in this series in some positions." The Bangladesh captain added.
Two changes in the Bangladesh team are inevitable as Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are out due to injuries. They added Saifuddin who played his last ODI earlier this year, and Fazle Rabbi who is the only uncapped player in Bangladesh's 15-man squad. Saifuddin is likely to take the number six position as Rabbi is considered for the number seven position.