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[Saba Sports News] The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has excluded all-rounder Shakib al Hasan and pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their 15-member squad for the first three T20I games of a five-match series against Zimbabwe, which is set to start on May 3 in Chattogram.
BCB explained that Shakib, recently recovered from an eye issue, opted to participate in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) to gear up for international cricket. Mustafizur, on the other hand, will be resting after his stint in the IPL, where his last match is against Punjab Kings on May 1.
BCB selection panel member Hannan Sarkar elaborated on the decisions: “Shakib plans to return on April 30 and play two DPL games. We think this is beneficial as it allows him no adjustment period, which is often lacking in T20 cricket,” Hannan said.
Regarding Mustafizur, he added, “He has been playing continuously, including the BPL and the Sri Lanka T20 series, followed by the IPL. He expressed a need for physical and mental recovery, so we’ve decided to rest him during the first part of the series with a possibility of returning for the last two games.”
The squad sees the inclusion of uncapped opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim and the return of Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin. Players like Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Aliss Al Islam, and Taijul Islam, who were part of the recent T20I series against Sri Lanka, were not retained.
“Tanzid Tamim has yet to debut but shows great promise for T20 cricket, which is why we included him,” Hannan explained. “We are also eager to see more of Parvez Emon, who has limited T20I exposure. As for Soumya, his injury recovery is ongoing, and we’ll make a further decision after consultations with the medical team.”
Squad: 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, Shaif Uddin