Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been named among the standbys for the two Tests in the West Indies next month, after he had been sidelined with a toe injury recently. Mustafizur had missed the T20I series against Afghanistan and was expected to take up to three weeks to recover when he was ruled out in the last week of May.
Allrounder Mosaddek Hossain, who played the first Test against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year, was also among the standbys. Uncapped seamer Abu Jayed, who made his international debut this year, was picked in the squad while batsman Sabbir Rahman was left out.
Sabbir and Mosaddek, however, were named in the Bangladesh A squad that will taken on the visiting Sri Lanka A side in the first of the three four-day matches from June 26 in Cox’s Bazar.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who was recalled to the Test squad after nearly four years for the Sri Lanka series was also dropped for the Caribbean tour, as were seamer Nayeem Hasan and legspinner Tanbir Hayder. Instead, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam, who have not played Tests since the South Africa tour in 2017, were picked. Rubel had also played against Afghanistan recently while Shafiul finished among the top 10 wicket-takers in the Dhaka Premier League with a tally of 24 from 13 innings.
Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who made three 50-plus scores in his last three first-class matches and two centuries and a half-century in his last three one-day matches, also returned to the squad. He had made his Test debut in Christchurch in January 2017. Nurul Hasan, who had also made his Test debut in the same game, found a place in the squad too. He is the third wicketkeeper behind Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das. However, it was Liton, who had kept wicket in Bangladesh’s last Test in Mirpur in February.
Shakib Al Hasan, who had taken a break from the Test series in South Africa and later missed the home Tests against Sri Lanka with injury, was back to lead the side. Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan and Mahmudullah are the other spin-bowling options in the squad.
The Caribbean tour will be Steve Rhodes’ first full series as Bangladesh coach. They will play a warm-up match at the end of June before the first Test starts on July 4 in North Sound and the second on July 12 in Kingston. The Tests will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is. The last two T20Is will be played in Lauderhill in the USA.
Bangladesh squad
Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt.), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Litton Das, Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hassan, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Abu Jayed, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shafiul Islam.
Standbys: Yeasin Arafat, Abu Haider, Naeem Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.
IN: Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Abu Jayed, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shafiul Islam
OUT: Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Tanbir Hayder, Abdur Razzak, Sabbir Rahman
(ESPNCricinfo)
