Three Zimbabwe T20Is will be missed by Shakib and Mustafizur.

Following Shakib’s wish to play in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) to prepare for international cricket after recovering from an eye issue, BCB made their decision. Member of the BCB selection panel Hannan Sarkar addressed the exclusion and said,

Surprisingly, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has left out several players from its 15-man roster for the forthcoming Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe. Starting on May 3 in Chattogram, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will not be included in the squad for the first three games of the series.

“Shakib is expected to come on April 30 and he desired to play two DPL games and we felt it can be good as in T20 format you don’t get time to get ready in the middle and he can have that time,” according to Cricbuzz.

In reference to Mustafizur’s absence, Sarkar emphasised the necessity of the bowler’s physical and psychological recovery following a prolonged stint of action that included the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and the Sri Lanka T20 series. Sarkar made a suggestion that Mustafizur might be included in the later episodes of the series, depending on his health and preparedness.

“Due to his extended playing career, Mustafizur is not included in the team. After participating in the BPL and Sri Lanka T20 series, he transferred to the IPL. He requires both physical and mental recuperation because he has been playing for a long period. He requested recovery time throughout a section of the series, so our chief selector spoke with him about it and we didn’t include him in the first three games of the series. He said, “We might include him in the second portion, which is the final two Twenty20 Internationals.

In addition to the return of opener Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin, the roster also includes uncapped opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim. The opening batsman Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Aliss Al Islam, and Taijul Islam—all of whom played in the previous T20I series against Sri Lanka—are significant absentees from the roster.

Hannan outlined the selection process’s reasoning, highlighting Tanzid Tamim’s ability in T20 cricket and indicating the board’s desire to assess Parvez Emon’s performance more thoroughly. Soumya Sarkar’s absence was ascribed to persistent fitness issues; BCB plans to make a decision regarding his inclusion following consultations with the medical staff.

“Tanzid Tamim is yet to make debut but we think he is promising and have the ability to play T20 cricket and that is why we included him in the squad,” Hannan stated. “Parvez Emon played only one T20I so far and apart from that he played two matches in a different tournament (in Asian Games) and we want to see him,” Sarkar stated.

“Soumya is still injured and still could not become fully fit and so we could not keep him three-match squad and later we will take a decision on him after talking with the medical team,” he stated. “We feel Saifuddin is an all-rounder and we are planning to play him in Zimbabwe series and we hope he will execute his role in the middle.”

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Squad: Shak Mahedi Hasan, Jaker Ali Anik, Mahmud Ullah, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, and Shaif Uddin. Captain: Najmul Hossain Shanto