The Bangladesh Cricket Board has named Zakir Hasan as the replacement for the injured Shadman Islam ahead of the second Test against Pakistan in Sylhet, set to begin on May 16. Shadman has been ruled out due to a chest injury, prompting the change in the squad for the match.
Bangladesh’s national team physio, Bayjedul Islam Khan, explained the circumstances of the setback in a statement. “Shadman took a blow in the chest while taking a catch during the first Test in Mirpur. He has a traumatic contusion of the chest and is in pain. He will not be available for the second Test unfortunately,” the physio said.
With Shadman sidelined, the board has brought in Zakir Hasan, a fellow opener and left-handed batter, to take his place in the touring group. Zakir, aged 28, last appeared in a Test match in November 2024.
The call-up for Zakir also raised eyebrows because Bangladesh had already included in-form white-ball opener Tanzid Tamim in the squad. With Tamim expected to be handed a debut against Pakistan, Zakir’s inclusion came as a surprise. However, it was later confirmed that another opener—Mahmudul Hasan—was also dealing with fitness concerns, which influenced the team’s planning.
One member of the selection panel said Tanzid would likely remain the first choice for the starting XI, but the additional niggle in the batting order led to Zakir being added as cover. “Naturally Tanzid Tamim will be ahead of Zakir to make his place in the playing XI for the second Test but our other opener is also having some (fitness) concern so we picked Zakir as his back-up,” the selector said when asked about Zakir’s inclusion.
