Sikandar Raza to miss one-off Test against Bangladesh in Harare

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza will miss the one-off Test against Bangladesh, beginning on June 28 in Harare, due to his county cricket commitments in England. Zimbabwe announced a 15-member squad for the red-ball fixture on Tuesday, June 23.

Raza has been granted permission to fulfil his commitment with Worcestershire County Cricket Club for the remainder of the 2026 Vitality Blast campaign by Zimbabwe Cricket. The fixture will also mark the captaincy debut of fast bowler Richard Ngarva, who recently replaced Craig Ervine as Test and ODI skipper in December.

Zimbabwe last played a Test match against Afghanistan in October 2025 in Harare, where they won by an innings and 73 runs. The squad features 39-year-old leg-spinner Graeme Cremer, who hasn't played a Test since 2017.

Apart from Cremer, there are four more players in the squad who didn't play the last Test against Afghanistan, namely Innocent Kaia, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wessly Madhevere and Newman Nyamhuri. Meanwhile, the two teams last played a Test series in April 2025 in Bangladesh, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bangladesh also make changes to their squad

Bangladesh have also announced a change in their squad for the one-off Test as Mahidul Islam will replace the injured Litton Das. The Bangladesh opener failed to recover from a left calf strain that he picked up during the recent third ODI series against Australia in Mirpur. The two teams will also play a three-match ODI series as well as a T20I series after the one-off Test.

Zimbabwe’s squad for one-off Test vs Bangladesh: Richard Ngarava (Captain), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Craig Ervine, Brad Evans, Innocent Kaia, Roy Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendan Taylor, Tafadzwa Tsiga.