DHAKA, Feb 15, 2020 (BSS)-A 15-member Zimbabwe Test squad, led by Craig
Ervine arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to play a bilateral series against
Bangladesh.
The series comprised with a one-off Test, three ODIs and two T20
Internationals.
Regular captain Sean Williams opted out the Test match to stay by his wife
during the birth of their first child. But he is expected to be available in
the ODI and T20 series.
The visitors will have two-day practice session at the National Cricket
Academy Cricket Ground in Mirpur before they gear up for the Test match with
a two-day practice match against BCB XI, scheduled for February 18-19 at
BKSP.
They will then begin the tour, squaring off against the Tigers in the lone
Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on February 22.
After the completion of the Test, the two teams will move to Sylhet where
they will play three ODIs slated for March 1, 3 and 6. The ODI series was
actually scheduled to be held in Chattogram but later the BCB shifted the
venue.
After the ODI series, the teams will return to Dhaka for the two T20Is, to
be held on March 9 and 11. Zimbabwe will leave the country on March 12.
Although, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is yet to name the Test
squad, the Tigers had already engaged them in practice session under the
supervision of head coach Russell Domingo.
The Test squad is likely to be announced following a board meeting on
Sunday at the BCB headquarters.
Bangladesh which has been going through a perennial defeat jinx in Test
cricket is believed to rethink about the Test squad. The Tigers lost six
straight Test matches, while five Tests by an innings margin.
It is highly likely that some of the players would pay the price for
Bangladesh’s Test debacle with Mahmuduallh Riyad in the forefront to be axed.
Mahmudullah, the T20 captain of the side, played a wretched shot during
the second innings of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi to spark
the collapse. And also his number in Test cricket was not good at all despite
being a senior player of the side.
While Mahmudullah’s Test future looked bleak, it is almost sure that
Mushfiqur would come back to the Test squad after opting out the Test match
in Pakistan, citing security concerns.