Bangladesh squad announced for Zimbabwe series

Mohammad Saifuddin and Fazle Mahmud make their way into Bangladesh’s three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, which is scheduled to begin in Dhaka on October 21.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 15-man squad for the ODI series against Zimbabwe on Thursday evening.

The hosts will be without the services of seasoned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is still nursing the left-finger injury from January which he aggravated during the Asia Cup. Tamim Iqbal is also unavailable due to the fracture he picked up in the first game of the tournament.

Soumya Sarkar, who was a part of Bangladesh’s 17-man squad as well, has been left out for the Zimbabwe ODI series. Mosaddek Hossain also misses out on the 15-man squad.

Right-arm pacer Saifuddin, who last represented Bangladesh in February, has a chance to cement his place in the playing XI with strong performances against Zimbabwe.

Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will be keen to leave behind the disappointment of losing out to India in the final of the Asia Cup in Dubai by leading his team to an emphatic victory in this series. Experienced campaigners like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, and Rubel Hossain have retained their place in the squad.

The sides will play the first ODI on October 21 in Mirpur while the last two matches will be played in Chittagong on October 24 and 26 respectively as per the schedule.

Bangladesh squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider Rony, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Saifuddin, Imrul Kayes and Fazle Mahmud.