‘We don’t know who we are playing against’

Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal expressed consternation regarding the delay in the announcement of Zimbabwe's squad ahead of the three-match ODI series during an online press conference on the eve of the first ODI yesterday.

"We don't know who we're playing against! Less than 24 hours to go until first ball and we haven't heard about their team," Tamim said when asked about preparations. "It feels a little different to me because we don't even have 24 hours till the match. Usually, we do team meetings at this time but if you don't know the opposition, I don't understand how you would pick a squad. This is quite surprising."

When asked about Zimbabwe's captains sitting out the tour, Tamim responded: "I have got nothing to say about their participation. All I know is that if any player has to play, he has to quarantine for 10 days in the hotel we're in. I think the ones in charge of maintaining the Covid-19 protocol can explain better."

When asked about Liton Das playing at number four during the practice match, Tamim said: "The batting order is something that is done according to what suits the team best. About Liton, you will when the match starts tomorrow [Friday] morning."

Tamim will rejoin Bangladesh for today's game after missing the one-off Test against Zimbabwe due to a knee injury but said a decision on the participation of Mustafizur was yet to be made.

"It's at a stage where it will take some time to recover. This isn't something that will be healed by taking rest for five to six days. The physio has outlined a plan and we are trying to manage that and play as much as possible while avoiding injury. I hope to finish the series then take the next decision. Mustafizur is also being looked at by the physio. I'll say the chance of his participation for tomorrow's [Friday] match is 50-50. We'll understand better later today [Thursday]."

With Super League points at stake, the captain is planning to pick the best squad for all three matches instead of tinkering. "I don't think it's important to do something big here because when you're playing the Super League each match has its own significance. We will try to pick our best team whenever we are playing."

Despite the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim and Mustafiz being hampered by niggles, the left-hander was confident his squad had enough to fill the void.

"We have to respect Mushfiqur's situation. Sometimes things are beyond our control. But we have 16 players in the squad so that if someone misses out, we can pick the best possible replacement. Those who are in the squad have more or less good cricketing experience." The skipper also opined that conditions would play a big factor in the match.

"From my experience, the 9:30 am start will offer something to bowlers, especially in the first hour. The challenge for us if we bat first is to be a bit careful, especially for the first hour. If we bowl first, we have to make sure we utilise that hour."