Mushy set to return for Zimbabwe Test
Mushfiqur Rahim is all set to make a comeback to the national team in the upcoming lone Test against Zimbabwe, scheduled to begin from February 22, with selectors expected to announce the team today.
There were rumours that Mushfiqur would not be considered for the Zimbabwe series if he did not change his mind about touring Pakistan because the Bangladesh team management wanted to have continuity in the side instead of tinkering with the squad.
However, chief selector Minhajul Abedin said yesterday that there was no reason to not include the wicketkeeper-batsman.
"We spoke to Mushfiqur today [Saturday] and he is all set to return to the Test side for the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe. We are going to submit the Test team tomorrow and the squad will most likely be announced tomorrow [Sunday]," Minhajul told The Daily Star yesterday.
It was learned that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had asked Mushfiqur to reconsider his decision to tour Pakistan after he became the only one to pull out from the tour due to personal reasons.
However, it is still unconfirmed whether Mushfiqur will change his mind and tour Pakistan for the third and final phase of the tour. On the last leg of the tour in April, Bangladesh will play one ODI and the second and final Test in Karachi.
There have also been discussions about another experienced cricketer, Mahmudullah Riyad, and his poor form in the longest version of the game which has seen him score just one fifty in his last ten innings. It was learned that the team management had asked the 34-year-old to focus on the limited-overs format and it will be interesting to see whether the selectors including him in the team.
Pacer Taskin Ahmed is also likely to make a comeback to the Test side as pacer Al Amin Hossain is suffering from injury. The selectors may also consider Mustafizur Rahman and young seamer Hasan Mahmud for the Test against Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Bangladesh will be desperate to return to winning ways after continuous disappointments in the game's longest format.
Mominul Haque and his troops have lost all five Test matches in 2019 and that trend continued into 2020, which began with yet another innings and 44-run thrashing in Rawalpindi last week.
We are well prepared. It's good to be back in Bangladesh, a place we call our second home. So, it's always nice to be back. We know the conditions. We got two good Test matches that went five days in Sri Lanka. We took lots of positives from that so hopefully we can carry on.
Brendan taylor
zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman
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