Surprise in Tigers' ODI squad?
The national selectors submitted a 15-member Bangladesh squad to the board for the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe yesterday. The changes to the Asia Cup squad were obvious as two stalwarts Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have been ruled out due to injuries and there may be one or two surprise inclusions when the team will be officially announced. The Minhajul Abedin-led selection panel has mostly depended on known faces but a fresh inclusion is not unlikely.
The selectors did not opt for a preliminary list this time for the three-match ODI and two-match Test series against Zimbabwe as they wanted to ensure that the players not in the squad continue playing in the ongoing National Cricket League.
The Zimbabwe team will arrive in Dhaka on October 15 and start their campaign against the Tigers on October 21 when they will play the first ODI in Mirpur before travelling to Chattogram, where the remaining two matches will take place on October 24 and 26 respectively.
Although there has been talk about resting pacer Mustafizur Rahman's from the Test series, Minhajul assured that they made the best possible side for the one-day series.
“We made the best possible side because every series is important for us as there is the issue of ranking points. As Shakib and Tamim are injured, you will definitely see one or two changes in the side,” said Minhajul. The former skipper also portrayed a bright picture about the back-up players in the pipeline.
Injury is now a big concern for the team management and with the busy schedule up ahead for the Tigers, the idea to rest a key player like Mustafizur from the Tests was floated. However, there was also a counter opinion -- whether resting a player from the Test series will be wise as the Tigers desperately need to improve their credentials in the longer-version.
