All but Shakib going to Zimbabwe

Shakib Al Hasan will not travel to Zimbabwe for Bangladesh national team’s One-Day International and Twenty20 International series, but the other veterans will go, meaning the Tigers will field a full-strength side against the lower-ranked side.

Bangladesh will travel to Zimbabwe later this month after returning from West Indies, where they are completing a full tour.

There were rumours about the Bangladesh Cricket Board sending a second-fiddle side to Zimbabwe as the ODI series was not included in the ICC ODI Super League, the official qualification process for the 2023 ICC World Cup.

But Chairman of BCB Cricket Operations, Jalal Yunus, swatted away all the rumours and said that all senior cricketers, except Shakib, will play the series.

“Most of the senior cricketers are available. They all want to play. Almost everyone is a senior now except for some. They have told us they are all available. Shakib will not be going, as he said earlier,” Jalal told the media on Thursday.

In Bangladesh’s last ODI series in Zimbabwe in 2021, Shakib was the player of the series scoring 145 runs and picking up eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in three matches.

Jalal informed that the selectors have already picked a team, which is similar to the squad for Bangladesh’s upcoming ODI series against West Indies.

“The selectors are picking a team. Those in the current ODI squad (vs West Indies) are all there. A full-strength team will tour Zimbabwe. Maybe there are no Super League points to play for, but the series is important. That’s why we are giving it importance. So that we can perform well.

“Many were talking about a second-string team. A second-string team is not going, we want to send a strong Bangladesh side,” the Cricket Operations Chairman said.

That means Tamim Iqbal, the ODI skipper, will tour Zimbabwe, but whether he will play the T20I series is still a mystery as he is yet to announce his decision.

His six-month break from the format ends this month, and Jalal informed Tamim would let BCB know his decision in early August.

“Tamim will inform (his decision about playing T20I). Maybe after this series (ODI series vs West Indies) or at the end of July. His leave is until July, he is supposed to convey his decision in August. Probably he will inform us in early August.

“We have had a lot of meetings with this. There is nothing to remind him of. He has not told us whether he will be playing in the T20 World Cup. He did not say if he was available or not. The decision is up to him, not us,” said Jalal.

Bangladesh are supposed to return to Bangladesh on July 18 after their ODI series against West Indies ends on July 16. The players will rest for a week and then travel to Zimbabwe, where the series is likely to begin in late July or early August.