Selectors Ponder Mahmudullah for Zimbabwe Test

A decision on whether to include all-rounder Mahmudullah in the Test squad will be in focus as the Bangladesh team selection panel gears up to declare the squad for the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe.

Yesterday the African nation reached Dhaka for a full-packed series consisting of one Test, three ODIs, and two T20Is.

The below-par output from Mahmudullah in the game's longest version has become a worry for the national think-tank. 

It was widely reported that the middle-order batsman and off-spinner were advised to focus on limited-overs cricket by national head coach Russell Domingo after another low-key performance against Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test last week.

On the other hand, wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is set to return to the national fold after opting not to be part of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan. 

“We spoke with Mushfiq yesterday 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 [today] and most likely the squad will be announced later in the day,” Chief selector Minhajul Abedin told the media Saturday.

Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed is also likely to get an opportunity to return to the national team, as current first-team pacer Al Amin Hossain is recovering from injury. 

The selectors are also considering whether to involve Mustafizur Rahman and young seamer Hasan Mahmud in the lone Test against Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh will be eager to make a comeback in the first home series of the year, after a long run of dismal performances in the longest format. 

Mominul Haque and his troop lost all five Test matches in 2019, and the situation has so far remained the same for the Tigers in 2020. 

They began the New Year with yet another thrashing, losing by an innings and 44 runs in Rawalpindi.