Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan scored 74 on the first day of the two-day practice match against Zimbabwe Select XI Saturday at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.

Shakib has been going through a bad patch for a while. He was a shadow of his former self during the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League last month. 

But coming into the practice game, Shakib hit fifty along with Saif Hassan, 65, and Najmul Hossain Shanto, 52.

Riding on their batting performance, Bangladesh ended day one at 313 for two wickets. Mahmudullah Riyad and Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained unbeaten on 40 and 5.

Apart from Shadman Islam, who was dismissed for a duck, and Test captain Mominul Haque, 29, all other batsmen retired not out.

Also read: Shakib inclusion to boost team’s confidence: Minhajul

Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Taijul Islam, and Yasir Ali are not the part of this game.

The lone Test will take place on July 7 at the Harare Sports Club. The three ODIs will take place on July 16, 18, and 20, while the T20Is will be played on July 23, 25, and 27 at the same venue.

Test and ODIs will start at 1:30pm (Bangladesh time) and T20Is at 4:30pm.

Bangladesh were last in Zimbabwe in 2013 when the Tigers ended the series in a draw, winning one match of the two-match series.

Also read: Shakib banned for three matches, fined Tk 5 lakh

After 2013, Zimbabwe played three Test series against the hosts Bangladesh and lost two of them; the other series ended in a draw.

Overall, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe took on each other in nine Test series. Of them, Zimbabwe won four, and Bangladesh three; the other two series ended in draws.

Bangladesh Test squad

Muminul Haque (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Shdman Islam, Saif Hassan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Mahmudullah Riyad, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehedy Hasan Miraz, Taizul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Shoriful Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Naeem Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad.