Mashrafe Mortaza returns to lead BCB XI

Fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has been named captain of the BCB XI that will play against the touring Zimbabweans in a one-day game on November 5. Four other members of the current ODI squad - Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman and Jubair Hossain - will also play in the warm-up game at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, two days ahead of the first ODI.

This will be Mashrafe's first competitive game since July 15 after his planned return in the National Cricket League - Bangladesh's first-class competition - had to be cancelled last month after he was hospitalised with dengue fever. He started training with the squad on October 29 but the team management is carefully managing his recovery from the illness.

Das, Mushfiqur, Sabbir and Jubair will feature in the practice game in a move focused on giving them batting and bowling practice ahead of their first international encounter in nearly four months, a period in which these four players have played domestic first-class cricket.

The selectors also included Shahriar Nafees after he finished as the highest scorer in this season's National Cricket League with 715 runs at an average of 79.44 in six matches for Barisal Division. In the last match, he struck 168 and 174 not out.

The uncapped members of the 13-member squad are Mehedi Maruf and Sunzamul Islam, and pace bowlers Delwar Hossain and Tawhidul Islam. Maruf, Sunzamul and Tawhidul have been impressive performers in this year's first-class tournaments but Delwar's inclusion came as a surprise given that he has only played a single first-class game so far in the 2015-16 season.

BCB XI: Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque, Liton Das, Shahriar Nafees, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Mehedi Maruf, Jubair Hossain, Sunzamul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Tawhidul Islam.