Shakib, Mustafizur to miss first three Zimbabwe T20Is

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe but with surprising omissions. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman will not feature in the squad for the first three matches of the series, slated to commence on May 3 in Chattogram.

BCB's decision comes in the wake of Shakib's desire to participate in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) to gear up for international cricket after recovering from an eye problem. Addressing the exclusion, BCB selection panel member Hannan Sarkar stated,

"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," as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Regarding Mustafizur's absence, Sarkar highlighted the need for the bowler's physical and mental recuperation after an extended period of play, encompassing the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sri Lanka T20 series, and the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Sarkar hinted at the possibility of Mustafizur's inclusion in the latter part of the series, subject to his fitness and readiness.

"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.

The squad sees the inclusion of uncapped opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim alongside the return of opener Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin. However, notable exclusions from the squad include opener Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Aliss Al Islam, and Taijul Islam, who featured in the previous T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Zimbabwe announce squad for Bangladesh T20Is

Explaining the rationale behind the selections, Hannan emphasised Tanzid Tamim's potential in T20 cricket and expressed the board's interest in evaluating Parvez Emon's performance further. Soumya Sarkar's absence was attributed to ongoing fitness concerns, with BCB intending to decide on his inclusion post discussions with the medical team.

"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," Hannan said. "Parvez Emon played only one T20I so far and apart from that he played two matches in a different tournament (in Asian Games) and we want to see him," Sarkar said.

"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," he added. "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."