Abu Dhabi:Bangladesh's regular captain, Liton Das, was absent from the tri-nation ODI series opener against Zimbabwe, held at Sheikh Jayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE, due to an injury concern.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, vice-captain Towhid Hridoy led the team in Liton's absence. Hridoy explained that Liton had to skip the match to focus on regaining full fitness.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bat first, citing the difficulty of chasing at this venue. Hridoy mentioned that he would have also opted to bat first, given the fresh condition of the wicket. He emphasized the importance of the match as part of their preparation for the upcoming World Cup and Asia Cup.
In Liton's absence, Mehidy Hasan Miraz returned to the squad after recovering from illness, while Nurul Hasan Sohan replaced Liton. Recently, Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in a three-match ODI series.
Raza expressed his intention to score as many runs as possible, acknowledging the challenge of chasing on this wicket. He stated that the team's approach is to maximize their run tally without a predetermined target in mind.
The squads for the match included Towhid Hridoy (c), Nurul Hasan Sohan (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Taskin Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, and Shoriful Islam for Bangladesh, while Zimbabwe's lineup featured Sikandar Raza (c), Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Brendan Taylor, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, and Blessing Muzarabani.