Ashraful wary of tough Zimbabwe challenge

Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful said on Tuesday that the upcoming Zimbabwe tour will not be an easy assignment, with the visitors needing to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions.

“It certainly is not going to be easy for us,” Ashraful said at the milad mahfil of late hockey legend Abdus Sadeque.

“We are going from hot and humid conditions to cold weather. It is never easy. We have to adjust quickly if we want to do well there,” he added.

Bangladesh will begin the tour with a one-off Test at the Harare Sports Club on 28 June before playing three One Day Internationals and as many T20 Internationals.

A few players, including captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and senior batter Mushfiqur Rahim, have already reached Zimbabwe, while the remaining Test squad members are set to fly to Harare on Wednesday.

Among them is pacer Hasan Mahmud, who featured in two County Championship matches for Kent over the past fortnight.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe have named a 15-member squad for the lone Test, with left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava set to captain the side in the longest format for the first time.

Ngarava was among the standout performers in that win, claiming a five-wicket haul, while Ben Curran struck a century and Brad Evans bagged five wickets to complete one of Zimbabwe’s most convincing Test wins in recent years.

The squad for the Bangladesh Test features five changes from that Afghanistan fixture, with Innocent Kaia, Graeme Cremer, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wessly Madhevere and Newman Nyamhuri all earning recalls after impressive domestic performances.

Zimbabwe, however, will be without key all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who has been allowed to honour his county commitments with Worcestershire County Cricket Club for the remainder of the 2026 Vitality Blast.

Zimbabwe had secured a memorable three-wicket win in the opening Test — their first victory in the format in four years — before Bangladesh bounced back to level the series in the second match.

Zimbabwe squad: Richard Ngarava (captain), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Craig Ervine, Brad Evans, Innocent Kaia, Roy Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendan Taylor, Tafadzwa Tsiga.