Shakib likely to play in Super League: Chief selector

Shakib Al Hasan is likely to play a few matches in the ongoing Super League stage of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) and take part in the latter half of the national team's forthcoming five-match Twenty20 series, said chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu today.

Shakib, who is currently in the USA, wasn't among the 17 players who were named for a three-day training camp in Chattogram, announced today. Lipu said, that the allrounder will be returning to Bangladesh soon and will rejoin the team after a playing few matches in the DPL.

"Shakib will return to Bangladesh by the end of this month. There is a possibility of him playing one or two matches in the DPL. Then he will join the team," Lipu told the reporters in Mirpur today.

"As we have five T20s [against Zimbabwe], we would want him to play a few matches in the latter part of the series," he added.

Mustafizur Rahman, who is currently in India playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, also wasn't named for the training camp as he will return to Bangladesh on May 2, a day before the Zimbabwe series begins in Chattogram.

Lipu said that the three-day training camp at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium will test the players in match scenarios that they are likely to find themselves in during T20 matches.

"We will be doing some match scenario practice. The team management, head coach and support staff will instruct the players about what should be their approach in different situations in T20s, what will be our planning and what will be the role of the batsmen and the bowlers.

"On the 26th, 27th and 28th, the team will practice different match scenarios on the central wicket. We will assess which batters are getting close to the target and why a bowler is failing or succeeding in fulfilling his goals."

The former Bangladesh captain said that they will announce the squad for the Zimbabwe series on the final day of the training camp and those who don't get selected for the series will become impromptu backups for the bilateral series' against Zimbabwe, the USA and June's ICC Twenty20 World Cup.

"On the 28th, we will announce the squad for the Zimbabwe series. If someone gets injured or for some reason if we want to change the squad during the series in the USA or during the T20 World Cup, we will take the backups from these 17 players.

Mohammad Saifuddin, who has been out of the team for about one-and-a-half years, was named for the training camp, while all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz was a notable absence from the list.

Players called up for the training camp

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad Saifuddin, Soumya Sarkar