A 15-member Zimbabwe squad, led by Craig Ervine arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to play a bilateral series against Bangladesh.
The series comprised with a one-off Test, three ODIs and two T20 Internationals.
Regular captain Sean Williams opted out the Test match to stay beside his wife during the birth of their first child. But he is expected to be available in the ODI and T20I series.
The visitors will have two-day practice session at the National Cricket Academy Ground in Mirpur before they gear up for the Test match with a two-day practice match against BCB XI, scheduled for February 18-19 at BKSP.
They will then begin the tour, squaring off against the Tigers in the lone Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur from February 22.
After the completion of the Test, the two teams will move to Sylhet where they will play three ODIs slated for March 1, 3 and 6. The ODI series was actually scheduled to be held in Chattogram but later the BCB shifted the venue.
After the ODI series, the teams will return to Dhaka for the two T20Is, to be held on March 9 and 11. Zimbabwe will leave the country on March 12.
Although, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is yet to name the Test squad, the Tigers had already engaged them in practice session under the supervision of head coach Russell Domingo.
The Test squad is likely to be announced following a board meeting on Sunday at the BCB headquarters.
Bangladesh, which has been going through a perennial defeat jinx in Test cricket is believed to rethink about the Test squad. The Tigers lost six straight Test matches, while five Tests by an innings margin.
It is highly likely that some of the players would pay the price for Bangladesh’s Test debacle with Mahmuduallh Riyad in the forefront to be axed.
Mahmudullah, the T20I captain of the side, played a wretched shot during the second innings of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi to spark the collapse. And also his number in Test cricket was not good at all despite being a senior player of the side.
While Mahmudullah’s Test future looked bleak, it is almost sure that Mushfiqur would come back to the Test squad after opting out the Test match in Pakistan, citing security concerns.
