Mushfiqur Rahim opts out of T20I series against Zimbabwe; to be available for Tests and ODIs

Bangladesh’s veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has decided to opt out of the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The team is slated to tour Zimbabwe in July for one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is starting from July 7. Rahim, however, will be available for the Test and ODI series according to the Bangladesh Chief Selector Minhajul Abedin.

The possible reason for Rahim opting out of the Zimbabwe T20Is is the bio-bubble fatigue. The players have been constantly in the bubble featuring in international matches or domestic cricket. With COVID-19 still existing in some of the major countries, the bio-bubble protocols will likely be followed for at least this year as of now.

And Rahim is willing to stay fresh for the upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand with T20 World Cup also slated to play. “Mushfiqur called me today and wanted to opt out from the T20 series against Zimbabwe. We are yet to take a decision in this regard but we must respect their decisions in such cases,” Minhajul said while talking to Cricbuzz.

Bangladesh were earlier slated to play two Tests on the tour but later the two boards decided to drop a game in the longer format and added one T20I making it a three-match series.

Bangladesh to reach Zimbabwe on June 29

Bangladesh players are expected to reach Zimbabwe on June 29. They are also willing to play a two-day warm-up game within squad it seems. But everything will depend on the visiting team’s quarantine period. If they are told to be in isolation for five days, then the team may opt for the practice game on July 3 and 4. However, things might not go as planned if the quarantine period is of 7 days.

The one-off Test is set to start on July 7 at Queens Sports Club. BCB Chief Executive Officer Nizamuddin confirmed that they are discussing the same with the Zimbabwe board. The tourists, however, have scheduled to play a warm-up game on July 14, two days ahead of the ODI series. The T20I series will commence on July 23 and all the limited-overs matches will be played at Harare Sports Club.