Bangladesh return to Test cricket with a clear opportunity for new players to step forward, as the only Test against Zimbabwe begins at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. The match arrives at a point when the visitors want to keep their strong red-ball run going, even with several senior names missing.
Play is scheduled to start at 1:30pm Bangladesh Standard Time. T Sports and Nagorik TV will show the match live, while fans can also follow it on Tapmad.
Fresh faces in the squad
Uncapped Towhid Hridoy and Robiul Haque have been called up, while Bangladesh have also included another uncapped player, Amite Hasan, who has remained with the squad since the Pakistan series in May. Mahidul Islam has come in for Litton Das, who was ruled out with a calf injury.
Bangladesh have also rested Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana, opening more space for younger and less-tested options to make an impression. Hasan Mahmud has joined the squad in Harare after two County Championship rounds for Kent, and he will be part of the pace unit alongside Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed.
Bangladesh want to protect their Test momentum
Bangladesh arrive with recent history on their side against Zimbabwe in this format. They have won eight of the last 10 Tests between the sides over a 13-year span, giving Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team a strong base as they resume a busy stretch of Test cricket.
Shanto said the squad had worked with the facilities available in Harare and that the group remained confident. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the match, he added, “We tried to make the best possible preparations with the facilities that were available to us here. Everyone is confident. We’ve been playing good cricket over the last few series, and I believe we can produce a strong performance in this Test match,” according to www.newagebd.net.
He also stressed that the match matters beyond this one fixture. Bangladesh face several away series after Zimbabwe, including trips to Australia and South Africa, and Shanto said strong performances here would help build momentum for those assignments.
“We want to win the match and play good cricket. After this series, we have several away series coming up, so it’s important how well we perform in this series,” he said. “If our batters and bowlers do well here, it will also benefit us in the upcoming series. Our focus will be on playing the best cricket we possibly can.”
Zimbabwe make changes of their own
Zimbabwe are also managing a side that looks different from their strongest possible Test XI. The country is not part of the ICC World Test Championship and does not play the format regularly, though it could be included in an expanded cycle from 2027 onward.
The hosts will be without star all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who was allowed to play in the T20 Blast in the UK instead. Experienced leg-spinner Graeme Cremer, now 39, has been recalled after his last Test appearance in 2017, while Richard Ngarava is set to captain Zimbabwe in Test cricket for the first time after being named Test and ODI captain last December.
Bangladesh won their previous one-off Test in Zimbabwe in 2021 by 220 runs, and this meeting offers another chance to test depth while keeping their recent record against the hosts intact.
