Litton out of the series with a hip injury, Hridoy leads Bangladesh to bowl first
Bangladesh will field first against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tri-nation ODI series at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on October 17, after losing the toss.
Towhid Hridoy leads the side because Litton Das has been ruled out of the entire series with a hip injury.
Bangladesh physio Bayejedul Islam Khan explained the decision.
“Litton complained of pain in his right hip joint yesterday, so we had an MRI done. The report showed that he has a problem with his right hip joint. Litton still tried to take a fitness test today to see if he could make it. He cannot meet the benchmark we require, so he is not available for this series.”
Litton was recently confirmed as full-term ODI captain, so the loss is a heavy blow for the side. Hridoy, his deputy, tossed the coin, and Zimbabwe chose to bat. Nurul Hasan Sohan comes in as wicketkeeper, with the match due to start at 5:30pm Bangladesh time.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is also missing from the XI, and the sources differ on why, with one citing an injury and another a fever. Bangladesh therefore begin their first tri-nation series in seven years without both their captain and the man he replaced in the role.
Hridoy explained the thinking at the toss. “I like to bat, but the wicket looks fresh so we’ll try to take advantage of it,” he said, adding that the balance of the side was right. “We have three fast bowlers and two spinners, so hopefully we’ll do better.”
The report showed that he has a problem with his right hip joint. Litton still tried to take a fitness test today to see if he could make it. He cannot meet the benchmark we require, so he is not available for this series.
Bangladesh physio Bayejedul Islam Khan
Bangladesh pick Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman as the pacers, with Mosaddek Hossain and Rishad Hossain as the spinners. Soumya Sarkar is set to open the batting with Tanzid Hasan Tamim.
Hridoy also looked beyond the series, with the Asia Cup due to be played in Bangladesh next year. “Every match is important for us and (apart from) the World Cup, we have the Asia Cup at home so this is an important time for us to prepare ourselves very well.”
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy (captain), Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Nurul Hasan Sohan (wicketkeeper), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.
Zimbabwe XI: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza (captain), Wesley Madhevere, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani.