|| CF Correspondent  ||

Playing a Test series without two stalwarts --Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal shouldn't be easier for a team like Bangladesh but such was their dominance at home in the recent past that they weren’t fazed about their absence in the series against Zimbabwe.

Ace all-rounder Shakib is currently nursing his finger injury while dependable opener Tamim Iqbal has been in rehabilitation due to his fractured left hand index finger knuckle.

However Mahmudullah Riyad who is leading the side in absence of Shakib said the injury-forced absence of the two bigwigs is the kind of blessings for the team as it opened the gate to test the other players’ mettle.

Even the absence of Shakib and Tamim is an opportunity for himself also, insisted the stand-in captain.

“Shakib is the kind of player who can give the team a well balance. Since he is not with us, we are forced to play an extra bowler and extra batsman,” Mahmudullah said.

“When Shakib is in the team, we don’t face any selection conundrum because he makes our task flexible. Tamim’s start on the other hand is valuable for the side. We always rely on his start.”

“But what I said repeatedly is that, the absence of Shakib and Tamim is an opportunity for the young and other players. It’s an opportunity for me also. So it is to see how enthusiastic we are to take that opportunity. It’s a challenging job indeed, we have to take that. I believe the players are keen to show their mettle.”