Tigers leave country tomorrow for Zimbabwe series
The Bangladesh national cricket team will leave the country at the early hour of Tuesday for their bilateral series against Zimbabwe.
The Tigers will depart the country at 4.25 am through a flight of Qatar Airlines.
The series consists of one Test, three ODIs, which are part of ICC ODI Super League and three T20 Internationals. This will be Bangladesh’s tour in Zimbabwe since 2013.
This series will be held in a bio-secure environment and to minimize the risk, all of the matches will take place at Harare Sports Club.
Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will join the side straight in Zimbabwe from the USA, where he is now holidaying with his family.
Shakib, the player of Mohammedan Sporting Club skipped the Super League phase of the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League (DPL) in a bid to keep him mentally refreshed ahead of the Zimbabwe tour.
“He will go to South Africa first from the USA and then will travel to Zimbabwe from there. As far as I am concerned, he will join the side in Harare,” said Bangladesh team leader Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby.
He also informed that the newly appointed spin bowling coach Rangana Herath and batting coach Ashwell Prince will join the side in Qatar, where Bangladesh team will have their transit.
“They will meet us in Qatar from where we’ll go to Zimbabwe on the same flight,” he added.
During the last tour in Zimbabwe in 2013, Bangladesh drew the two-match Test and T20 series by 1-1 respectively but lost the three-match ODI series by 2-1.
Bobby believes while Zimbabwe would be a tougher opposition at their home soil, Bangladesh will be boosted up by the presence of Shakib Al Hasan in all three formats of cricket.
“Hopefully Shakib will play all three formats of cricket in Zimbabwe and his presence is a boost for the side. His presence will also create a pressure on the opposition,” he reckoned.
Bangladesh will start the series with a two-day practice game, scheduled from July 3-4.
Their only Test in the tour is slated from July 7-11 and three ODIs are scheduled on July 16, 18 and 20. Then they will take on the hosts for a three-match T20 International series, scheduled to be held on July 23, 25 and 27.
Bangladesh had already announced three separate squads for the three formats of cricket.
Bangladesh squad:
Test: Mominul Haque (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossian Chowdhury, Shoriful Islam, Mahmudullah Riyad.
ODI: Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Naim Sheikh, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossian Shaikat, Mohammad Mithun, Afif Hossian, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossian, Shoriful Islam
T20I: Mahmudullah (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Naim Sheikh, Liton Kumar Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarker, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain Patwari, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Nasum Ahmed, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam.
