BCB forced to include Mushfiqur Rahim against Zimbabwe in Test series
Pic- Cricfrenzy
|| CF Correspondent ||
There was a buzz in the air that Bangladesh team management does not want to change the batting order during the home series against Zimbabwe after Mushfiqur Rahim opted not to be part of Pakistan tour.
However, BCB decided not to go in the same line after their humiliating inning defeat at Rawalpindi and instead making plans to include the wicket-keeper batsman in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, scheduled at Dhaka from February 22.
The team management comprising with head coach Russell Domingo and selectors sat with Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan to discuss their performance in the longer-version and about their plan for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
Sources close to the meeting confirmed Cricfrenzy that board have backtracked from their earlier stance of not including Mushfiqur and now opting to bring him on the board.
‘’We cannot take any chances against Zimbabwe due to the way we have played in Pakistan and so we are trying to form the best possible squad against Zimbabwe,’’ added a BCB official on not to be named.
‘’If that is the case where is the place of Mahmudullah in the line-up considering his recent form,’’ he added.
According to the source, Bangladesh middle-order batsman Mahmudullah Test career is set to come to a halt, at least for the time being, as the team management has asked him to re-think his future in longer-version cricket, shortly after the opening Test against Pakistan and head coach Russell Domingo initiated the move to inform the 34-year-old that he isn't part of their Test plans for the immediate future.
Bangladesh are struggling in Test cricket for quite some time, suffering yet another humiliating defeat in the Rawalpindi Test where they were humbled by an innings and 44 runs by Pakistan. Mahmudullah's 25 runs in the first innings and a golden duck in the second innings didn't do his cause any good.
‘’We are going to announce the Test squad by Sunday,’’ Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin confirmed.
‘’We had a long meeting with the BCB president and it was largely dominated with our performance in Test and how we could improve it,’’ he added.
Another source of BCB said that some of the BCB high-ups are thinking to ask Mushfiqur to reconsider his decision regarding the Pakistan tour.
Our boys went to Pakistan twice and his teammates did not have any kind of problem there so he can always reconsider his decision,’’ said an official of BCB.
His teammates are also thinking in the same line and though they are not in a position to ask him we might ask him about it though we are yet to take any decision in this regard,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is all set to miss the service of Soumya Sarkar in the one-off Test and the first ODI’s against Zimbabwe as he had opted out of the series for getting married.
‘’Soumya will get married so we won’t get him during the lone Test against Zimbabwe and opening ODI’s of the three-match series,’’ said Minhajul adding they are also concerned with Al Amin Hossain as the pace bowler is having pain on his back.
