Bangladesh chose to bat vs Zimbabwe
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque chose to bat against Zimbabwe in the one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club ground. The home side are without regular captain Sean Williams and Craig Ervine after both had to self-isolate after coming into contact with relatives who are Covid-19 positive.
Their stand-in captain Brendan Taylor said that he was happy being put in to bowl first; he expects help for the fast bowlers on the first day in Harare.
Zimbabwe handed Test debuts to top-order batters Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Dion Myers.
Bangladesh are without experienced opener Tamim Iqbal, who is out with a knee injury.
The experienced Shakib Al Hasan – who missed most of the West Indies series at home because of a left thigh injury and opted out of the Sri Lanka Tests in April to play in the IPL – returns, as does Mahmudullah, who is playing his first Test in 18 months. Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed will be taking the new ball, while Abu Jayed, Taijul Islam and Shoriful Islam miss out from the XI that played Bangladesh’s previous Test match. Opener Shadman Islam is back after missing that series against Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe: Timycen Maruma, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Brendan Taylor (capt), Regis Chakabva (wk), Milton Shumba, Dion Myers, Donald Tiripano, Roy Kaia, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Blessing Muzarabani
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Liton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
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