PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim received his maiden call-up to the national side after an impressive run for the Bangladesh A side in the recent Emerging Asia Cup. The left-handed batter scored 179 runs in four matches including three half-centuries. He joins Liton Das and Mohammad Naim as the three batters for the opening position.
A major talking point was Mahmudullah Riyad’s potential inclusion based on experience but the BCB left the veteran out as they opted for Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain for the lower middle-order role.
Shamim, who is yet to make his ODI debut, might just get the nod owing to Afif’s underwhelming form in recent matches.
Off-spinner Sheikh Mahedi made a return to the national fold after a one-year hiatus and will feature for the Tigers in a 50-over game after a gap of more than two years.
The choice for a second left-arm spin option was between Nasum Ahmed and Taijul Islam but the former got the nod, with Taijul being named as a standby option.
The most stable department, the pace brigade, had no surprises as all five expected candidates—Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, and Mustafizur Rahman—made the cut.
Bangladesh play their first Asia Cup match on August 31 against Sri Lanka in Kandy.
