ZIM vs BAN: Mosaddek Hossain named Bangladesh skipper for final T20I, Mahmudullah replaces injured Nurul Hasan

The Bangladesh Cricket Board officially confirmed on August 1 that Mosaddek Hossain Saikat has been appointed captain for the third T20 international against Zimbabwe. Nurul Hasan, who was forced to withdraw from the series owing to a finger injury he incurred in the second match, has been replaced as captain by Mosaddek.

Prior to the third T20I, Mosaddek has been in excellent form after taking his first five-wicket haul in the second game to help Bangladesh tie the series. Mahmudullah, who is in Zimbabwe, will take Nurul’s position in Tuesday’s pivotal third game of the series. The series is currently tied at 1-1, and the upcoming third game will decide the winners of the T20I series.

Mahmudullah was benched for the T20I segment of the tour but was selected for the T20I team because he was present with the team in Zimbabwe as part of the ODI squad as the games are set to follow next. The BCB reported that Nurul will depart from Harare on Monday in order to head back home and carry on with his therapy and recovery.

“We did an X-ray which revealed a fracture to the index finger. Such injuries take about three weeks to recover from. He is therefore out of Tuesday’s last T20 match and the upcoming ODI series,” Muzadded Alpha Sany, Bangladesh’s physiotherapist said according to Cricbuzz.

Third T20I to act as the tie-breaker

Speaking of the ongoing tour, Zimbabwe thrashed Bangladesh to win the first game by 17 runs. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series and put the visitors on the back foot. But the Bangladesh Tigers bounced back stronger in the second game and put up a dominating performance to level the series. Opener Liton Das showed his skills with the bat, but it was Mosaddek Hossain who played the crucial role.

He earned a brilliant five-wicket haul in the first innings, which kept the visitors in a commanding position, and the hosts ended their 20-over quota scoring mere 135 runs, which was clearly a dismal performance as compared to their score of 205 in the first game. Hossain conceded just 20 runs during his four-over spell and was adjudged the Player of the Match.