All-rounder Shakib al Hasan is set to mark his return to Test cricket as the Bangladesh Cricket Board, on Wednesday (June 23), announced the squads for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. Shakib had earlier skipped Sri Lanka Test series to play the IPL. Bangladesh are scheduled to play a Test along with three ODIs and three T20Is in the tour scheduled to begin from July 7, with all the matches set to be hosted in Harare. The injured trio - Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed and Mushfiqur Rahim - who are out of action in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League due to their respective injuries, are expected to be fit before the Zimbabwe tour. Wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan has also made a comeback across formats in the tour. In the Test format, along with Shakib and Nurul, offspinner Nayeem Hassan has also made a comeback. Meanwhile, the BCB has agreed to Mushfiqur's plea and allowed him to skip the T20s.
"Getting the best player (Shakib) in three formats is always a plus point and we are hopeful that the team will be morally boosted up by his presence. We are hoping to have good performance from him," Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said."If you consider the present performance he deserves to make a comeback in three formats," Minhajul said on Nurul's inclusion. "When we took him with us in Sri Lanka team management was very happy with him with his skill set."BCB had earlier confirmed that one Test has been reduced from their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, scheduled from July 7, to accommodate an additional T20I. Bangladesh initially planned to play two Tests along with three ODIs and two T20Is but later both the boards agreed to reduce a Test and instead add one additional T20I to make sure they can prepare for the T20 World Cup.Ahead of the opening Test on July 7, the tourists will play a two-day practice game on July 3 and 4 in Harare while they are scheduled to play another warm-up fixture on July 14 - two days ahead of the ODI series. The ODIs are scheduled on July 16, 18 and 20 in Harare, while the three T20Is will be played on July 23, 25 and 27 at the same venue.
