IPL-bound Mustafizur Rahman misses out on Bangladesh's squad for first 3 T20Is against Zimbabwe
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the squad for the upcoming five-game T20I series against Zimbabwe. Shakib al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman have not been included for the first three T20Is, scheduled to begin on May 3 in Chattogram.
The BCB had earlier revealed that Shakib will be unavailable at least two games, having recently recovered from an eye problem and wants to first play in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) before returning for Bangladesh. Rahman, meanwhile, missed out, given he will return from IPL following his final game against the Punjab Kings on May 1.
Chief Selector Hannan Sarkar revealed that they want to give Mustafizur some rest, allowing him time to recover after playing continuously. Sarkar also added that Shakib playing DPL matches justifies ahead of his international return.
He stated, as quoted by Cricbuzz:
"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. 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."
Bangladesh squad for first three 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, and Shaif Uddin.
Bangladesh chief selector reveals reason behind Soumya Sarkar's exclusion
Uncapped opener Tanzid Tamim found a spot in the squad that also saw the return of Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin. The likes of Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Aliss Al Islam, and Taijul Islam missed out.
However, chief selector has revealed that Sarkar is nursing an injury and has not returned to full fitness.
"Tanzid Tamim is yet to make debut but we think he is promising and have the ability to play T20 cricket and that is why we included him in the squad. Soumya is still injured and still could not become fully fit and so we could not keep him three-match squad and later we will take a decision on him after talking with the medical team. We feel Saifuddin is an all-rounder and we are planning to play him in Zimbabwe series and we hope he will execute his role in the middle."
Bangladesh are clubbed with South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Netherlands in Group D for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on May 1 in the West Indies and thr USA.