Bangladesh ring changes: Hridoy to captain vs Zimbabwe, Saifuddin back after layoff

Towhid Hridoy will captain Bangladesh in the 3-match T20I series vs Zimbabwe on July 15, 17 & 19 at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.

Regular skipper Litton Das is out – he’s been granted leave to play the Lanka Premier League and is still recovering from a calf injury. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, and Hasan Mahmud also miss out due to LPL commitments. This is Hridoy’s 2nd stint as T20I captain – he led Bangladesh vs Australia last month when Litton was injured.

Mohammad Saifuddin returns to the T20I squad after missing the Australia series and an 18-month absence. Selectors want a pace-bowling all-rounder option. Mosaddek Hossain recalled after scoring 157 runs in 3 ODIs vs Australia. Yasir Ali returns after nearly 3 years – last played T20Is at the 2023 Asian Games. Shamim Hossain dropped due to poor form.

Bangladesh will be without their captain Litton Das, allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud for the three-match series against Zimbabwe. All these players have been granted NOCs to play in the Lanka Premier League, which overlaps with the T20I series.

In Litton's absence, Towhid Hridoy will lead the side. This will be his second series as Bangladesh's captain. Last month, he had led the side during the three-match T20I series against Australia at home when Litton was injured. Litton is still recovering from his calf injury and is expected to be fit before the second ODI.

The T20I series against Zimbabwe starts on July 15. The second and the third games will be played on July 17 and July 19, respectively. The Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo will host all the games.

Before the T20Is, Bangladesh will play a three-match ODI series, starting July 6. Bangladesh lost the one-off Test in Harare by an innings and 85 runs.

Squad: Hridoy (c), Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.

Context: Bangladesh will play 3 ODIs vs Zimbabwe from July 6 before the T20Is. They lost the one-off Test in Harare by an innings and 85 runs. BCB sees this as a chance to test bench strength and give Hridoy leadership experience.