Combinations key as Shakib, Fizz and Soumya come in

After Bangladesh took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe, opener Parvez Hossain Emon and batter Afif Hossain were eventually left out of the Tigers' squad for the last two T20Is, to be played in Dhaka, without having played a game.

Parvez and Afif's exclusion were largely expected as the two more senior stars in Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar were included, with the former returning to the T20I lineup after a gap of 10 months.

It also became apparent that the team management's plans for the forthcoming T20 World Cup did not have those two players in a big way. With Shakib's preparations and Soumya's injury rehabilitation prioritised, the two made up the numbers.

However, selector Abdur Razzak yesterday informed in a video message that all the players who were in the squad are still "in" the system.

For pacers Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur "Fizz'' Rahman, workload management was prioritized, with the Tigers slated to depart soon for the USA to play a series against the hosts before they begin their World Cup campaign in Dallas. While Shoriful was "rested" for the rest of the Zimbabwe series, Mustafizur, who had enjoyed a few days' rest following return from Indian Premier League, was included in his place.

"Shoriful has been rested to give time to his family and we did that before with Mustafizur when he returned from India. Shoriful had been playing high-intensity matches for a while and also played Premier League matches. He is getting time off to recharge himself. We discussed with Mustafizur on whether he wanted to play first and then rest or if he wanted to take a break first before playing the series. He opted for the latter," Razzak informed.

The main concerns in the Tigers camp would be the injury troubles of a few stars such as Soumya and Mohammad Saifuddin. Following the third T20I in Chattogram, the selectors and head coach sat down with the two players to discuss plans going forward.

Given head coach Chandika Hathurusingha's preference on fit players, both Saifuddin and Soumya, who has only recently made a recovery, were on the agenda of the discussions.

Soumya had recently bowled quite a bit since his recovery and the team management will be keen on his bowling contributions, and fielding as well. Saifuddin made a good comeback to the national team but his performances in death overs against an opponent such as Zimbabwe may not have assured the team management wholly.

Shakib, meanwhile, will look to switch gears from one-day to T20Is but his presence would help further the team management's plans going forward.

Apart from injuries, the other problem Tigers would face is the presence of left-handed batters in the top-order. Along with Soumya and Shakib, there is Tanzid Hasan and skipper Najmul Hossain, who are all likely to play at the top. Combinations would be crucial to the Tigers' plans as opponents would look to capitalise on such a heavy presence of left-handers at the top.

There are only a few shake-ups available to the Tigers in terms of their 15-member squad. In the end, the assessment of wickets in the USA and West Indies would also be key in picking between extra spinners and pacers as left-arm orthodox spinner Tanvir Islam and pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib await their World Cup ticket.