Najmul Hossain Shanto has returned to the squad as captain after missing the previous series due to injury. Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan has earned his maiden call-up to the Test team.
Taskin Ahmed misses out on the squad for the first Test against Zimbabwe due to injury. In his absence, fellow pacer Tanzim Hasan steps in for his Test debut.
“Shanto, who missed the last series due to injury, returns as captain,” while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who led the team during the West Indies series, will now serve as the vice-captain.
Mushfiqur Rahim, who was also ruled out of the Caribbean tour due to injury, is back in the Test squad. The veteran batter has now retired from the other two formats and will continue to play only Tests for Bangladesh.
Fast bowler Syed Khaled Ahmed and off-spinner Nayeem Hasan have also returned to the squad. Litton Das, who was granted leave to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), was confirmed unavailable and left the country on Tuesday.
Apart from Zaker Ali, wicketkeeper-batter Mahidul Islam Ankon has also been included. Mushfiqur has not been keeping wickets in Test cricket for quite some time now.
Among the players dropped from the previous squad are Hasan Murad, Shoriful Islam, and Shahadat Hossain. Murad, a left-arm spinner, lost his place without getting a chance to play during the West Indies tour.
Shahadat had returned to the Caribbean tour squad as a last-minute replacement for the injured Shanto. Although he played two matches, he failed to impress, not reaching 30 runs in any of his four innings.
Shoriful Islam played in the first Test of that series but managed just one wicket across two innings. He was also excluded from the Champions Trophy squad earlier in February.
Taskin continues to struggle with an old leg injury. In a statement, BCB Chief Physician Debashis Chowdhury said, “At the moment, Taskin is undergoing rehabilitation for the Achilles tendon tissue in his left leg. He won’t be available for this series.”
Tanzim, who has already represented Bangladesh in ODIs and T20Is, is set for his Test debut. He has taken 25 wickets in 16 first-class matches so far. However, he was sidelined with a shoulder injury after playing just one match in the last National Cricket League.
The pace attack includes Tanzim along with Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, and Khaled Ahmed. Nahid is expected to leave for the PSL after the first Test.
In a video message shared by the BCB, Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Lipu mentioned that they’re keeping Ebadot Hossain in consideration for a comeback. “He’s currently under the supervision of the physio and trainer. If he gets the green signal, we’ll bring him back to the squad.”
In the spin department, regulars Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam are joined by the returning Nayeem Hasan, who picked up 22 wickets in 5 matches during the last National League for Chattogram.
Zimbabwe is set to arrive in Bangladesh next Tuesday for the two-match Test series. The first Test will begin on April 20 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, while the second will kick off on April 28 at the Shaheed Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.
Bangladesh Test Squad
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Sadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Zaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice-Captain), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan.
- New Inclusion: Tanzim Hasan
- Returns: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Nayeem Hasan
- Unavailable (Leave): Litton Das
- Injured: Taskin Ahmed
- Dropped: Shahadat Hossain, Hasan Murad, Shoriful Islam
