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1st T20I | Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh T20I Series 2026 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | 15 July 2026
Newman Nyamhuri and Milton Shumba are the two new names Zimbabwe could hand shirts to in Bulawayo, but the bigger call is whether the top order that carried them to a maiden Super Eight finish gets first refusal again. Ben Curran’s monster 111 not out in the ODI series suggests he can’t be left out much longer. Bangladesh, missing Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed, arrive with Towhid Hridoy in caretaker charge and a pace attack still working around Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness.
Zimbabwe named a 15-player squad on July 8, led by Sikandar Raza, largely unchanged from the T20 World Cup group. Newman Nyamhuri gets a maiden call-up on ODI form, while Milton Shumba returns to the T20I fold since the 2022 World Cup.
Graeme Cremer misses out with a fractured left arm, and neither Brendan Taylor nor Tony Munyonga were selected. Ben Curran stays in the squad despite still waiting for a T20I debut, having originally joined the World Cup group as a replacement for the injured Taylor. His ODI form against this same opponent makes his continued absence from Zimbabwe’s XIs harder to justify.
Form heading into this series points in different directions for each side. Zimbabwe won the ODI leg 2-1 and thumped Bangladesh by an innings in the solitary Test, momentum that should carry into a format where Raza’s side reached a first-ever Super Eight.
Bangladesh’s most recent form arrived at the World Cup, where they didn’t progress past the group stage, and this squad looks reshaped from that campaign. Mosaddek Hossain and Yasir Ali return on the back of one-day form, Mohammad Saifuddin comes back into the fold, and the tourists will lean on Nahid Rana’s pace to unsettle a Zimbabwe top order that has grown used to winning.
Bangladesh announced their squad on July 1, and the biggest headline was what it didn’t include. Litton Das, the regular captain, was left out entirely, handing the armband to Towhid Hridoy as his deputy steps up. Taskin Ahmed and Shamim Patwari also missed out.
Mustafizur Rahman remains the squad’s biggest injury doubt. He picked up a hamstring and knee problem during the ODI series, which is expected to keep him out for around four weeks, putting his involvement in this series in genuine question. If he isn’t fit, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam will simply carry a heavier new-ball workload between them.
Queens Sports Club has staged close to 150 international matches and 19 T20Is to date, and the pattern at the ground favours the team batting first. Sides setting a target have won 13 of those 19 games, a winning rate above two in three, with the average first-innings total sitting at 155 runs.
The surface slows and turns as the innings wears on, rewarding spinners in the back half while pacers face variable bounce. The highest total at the ground, 236 for 5 by Zimbabwe against Singapore in 2022, came from an innings that started fast and never let up, the template both sides will be chasing if they win the toss.
Here is how both sides are likely to line up if conditions in Bulawayo play out as expected.
| Player | Role | Batting Position |
| Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk) | Wicketkeeper-Batter | 1 |
| Brian Bennett | Batter | 2 |
| Dion Myers | Batter | 3 |
| Ryan Burl | Batting All-rounder | 4 |
| Sikandar Raza (c) | All-rounder | 5 |
| Tashinga Musekiwa | All-rounder | 6 |
| Tinotenda Maposa | All-rounder | 7 |
| Brad Evans | Bowling All-rounder | 8 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Bowler | 9 |
| Richard Ngarava | Bowler | 10 |
| Wellington Masakadza | Bowler | 11 |
| Player | Role | Batting Position |
| Tanzid Hasan | Opening Batter | 1 |
| Parvez Hossain Emon | Opening Batter | 2 |
| Towhid Hridoy (c) | Batter | 3 |
| Mosaddek Hossain | Batting All-rounder | 4 |
| Yasir Ali | Batter | 5 |
| Nurul Hasan (wk) | Wicketkeeper-Batter | 6 |
| Mahedi Hasan | All-rounder | 7 |
| Rishad Hossain | Bowler | 8 |
| Nasum Ahmed | Bowler | 9 |
| Shoriful Islam | Bowler | 10 |
| Nahid Rana | Bowler | 11 |
Saifuddin, Mustafizur and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain remain in the mix for Bangladesh’s final seam-bowling spot depending on fitness. The Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh T20I 2026 playing XI puzzle for Bulawayo comes down to how much Zimbabwe trusts Curran’s ODI form over an XI that’s already winning.
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When is the Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh 1st T20I?
July 15, 2026, is when Zimbabwe and Bangladesh open their three-match T20I series. The opener kicks off the series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with two more games following on July 17 and 19.
Who captains Zimbabwe’s T20I side?
Sikandar Raza captains Zimbabwe across the series. He led the team’s unbeaten run through the T20 World Cup group stage and remains Zimbabwe’s most experienced all-round option in this format by some distance.
Did Zimbabwe reach the Super Eight at the T20 World Cup?
Yes, Zimbabwe reached the Super Eight for the first time in their history. They topped Group B unbeaten before losing all three Super Eight matches, against West Indies, India and South Africa.
Who captains Bangladesh for this T20I series?
Towhid Hridoy leads Bangladesh in this series after Litton Das was left out. Hridoy takes over having previously served as vice-captain, stepping in with Das dropped entirely from this squad for the series.
Where is the Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh T20I series being played?
All three T20Is are being played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The venue has hosted close to 150 international matches and roughly 19 T20Is to date.
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