Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar has made big strides of nine places to take the 34th position in the latest ICC rankings for T20 international batsmen. The southpaw hit two fifties in the three-match T20 series and had an average of 42. While Soumya rose to 34th place from 43rd, Bangladesh T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad and left-hand opener Mohammad Naim slipped a few spots. Read: Soumya hit fifty but Tigers lose T20Is series against Kiwis Mahmudullah went down three places from 33 while Naim dropped to 32 from 29. At the end of the Zimbabwe series, Shakib Al Hasan occupies the number one bowler position of Bangladesh after being placed at 21 in the T20 bowler rankings. Also, he remains number two in the T20 all-rounders' rankings. Bangladesh won the three-match T20 series 2-1 against Zimbabwe. Read: Soumya, Abu Jayed help Tigers get back control The Tigers' next assignment is against Australia who are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka later this week. Australia will play a five-match T20 series against Bangladesh. The first match will take place on August 3, while other matches will be played on August 4, 6, 7 and 9. All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Ahead of the one-off Test, three ODIs and three T20Is against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh will play a two-day practice match at Takashinga Sports Club on July 3 and 4 to warm up ahead of the crucial series. All the 18 members of the Bangladesh Test squad are currently in Zimbabwe, while the players who will play ODIs and T20Is will leave for Harare on July 9 and July 16, respectively. Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain of Bangladesh who is part of the Test squad, might not take part in the practice match. The left-handed batsman has been suffering from a leg injury since the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League. READ: Australia and Bangladesh to square off in 5 T20Is early August   He had represented Prime Bank Cricket Club in the event. But he couldn’t play the Super League due to the injury.  However, Shakib Al Hasan is all set to play the practice match. The all-rounder was in the US with his family before joining the team in Zimbabwe.  “We have been doing well in practice sessions,” Taskin Ahmed, the right-arm pacer who is a part of the teams in all formats, told the media over a video message. “I believe that we will have no complaint about our preparations in Zimbabwe.” The first match of the series, the one-off test, will take place on July 7 at the Harare Sports Club.  “We are looking forward to playing the Test first. We have won many matches against Zimbabwe. But every match is new, and we have to play our best game to beat them at their home,” Taskin added.  Bangladesh’s last Zimbabwe tour was in 2013 when the Tigers ended the series in a draw, winning one of the two-match series.  After 2013, Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh thrice for the Test series and lost two of them, with the last series being a one-off Test affair.  Overall, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe took each other in nine Test series -- Zimbabwe won four and Bangladesh three. The other two series ended in a draw.  READ: What Bangladesh Cricket Fans Can Expect From Herath and Prince?  The three ODIs will take place on July 16, 18, and 20, while the T20Is will be played on July 23, 25, and 27 respectively. Test and ODIs will start at 1.30 pm (Bangladesh time) while T20Is will commence at 4.30 pm (Bangladesh time).

Tigers will likely get a new ODI captain after the Zimbabwe series, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hasan said Wednesday, hinting that this will be Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s last outing as skipper.