Shakib Al Hasan is back in Bangladesh’s T20I squad after almost a year. He was named in the squad for the final two matches against Zimbabwe in Dhaka. Soumya Sarkar and Mustafizur Rahman are also back, as the home side looks to continue their winning ways after taking a 3-0 lead in Chattogram.
Shakib captained Bangladesh in their last T20I appearance, with his last appearance being a player-of-the-match performance against Afghanistan in Sylhet in July 2023. He was building the team in preparation for this year’s T20 World Cup , but an eye illness and a finger injury restricted his appearances after the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023. Najmul Hossain Shanto replaced him as captain in all formats this year.
Mustafizur is back after a period of rest following his return from the IPL, where he was a solid performer with the ball for Chennai Super Kings. Soumya is returning from the knee injury he suffered during the third ODI against Sri Lanka on March 18.
The last two T20Is could go some way in helping the selectors finalize Bangladesh’s squad for the T20 World Cup, which is said to be announced on May 13, a day after the last T20I in Dhaka.
Bangladesh team: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Soumya Sarkar, Tanvir Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin .
