Source - Wisden India

Zimbabwe are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on January 11 to play four Twenty20 Internationals as part of the preparations for the World T20 2016, to be played in India in March-April. All the matches will be played at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna, with the first game on January 15 and the final one on January 22. Zimbabwe, currently in Sharjah for their limited-overs series against Afghanistan, where the One-Day International exchange is currently tied 2-2 with one game to go, last played a T20I series in Bangladesh in November last year, which was drawn 1-1.

The 12-day tour announcement, made on Tuesday (January 5), came soon after Australia pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup, to be held in Bangladesh from January 27, because of security concerns. Bangladesh were supposed to host the Australian senior team in October last year, but that series was also called off for similar reasons. From Bangladesh’s point of view, Shakib Al Hasan, who missed the last series against Zimbabwe – Bangladesh’s last assignment in the shortest format – returned as vice-captain, while Abu Hider, the left-arm seamer, was rewarded for his good show in the Bangladesh Premier League with a callup for the first and second games.

Hider was the league’s second-most successful bowler with 21 wickets in 12 matches, and was instrumental in Comilla Victorians winning the title. He ended one scalp short of equalling Kevon Cooper at the top of the charts. This will be Bangladesh’s penultimate T20I assignment before the Asia Cup in February-March.

Schedule is as follows:-

January 15 - First T20I

January 17 - Second T20I

January 20 - Third T20I

January 22 - Fourth T20I

Bangladesh squad (for first two T20Is) - Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Arafat Sunny, Qazi Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain.