Bangladesh announces 15 man squad for the first Test against England

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headed by Nazmul Hasan Papon today announced the 15 man squad for the Test of the two-match series against England. Bangladesh has made six changes to their squad for the first Test against England at Chittagong, starting on October 20. The core of the team has been retained by the selectors.

The team will be lead by wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim. Interestingly, rising star Taskin Ahmed was ignored. Head coach Hathurusingha was strictly against his inclusion with an aim to preserve him and it seems that the selectors have decided to agree with the chief coach.

The selectors have opted to choose a balanced side with a good mix of senior men and newcomers. Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, and Mahmudullah Riyad form the core of the batting order. Left-hander Soumya Sarkar could not do get an opportunity in the limited overs series finds a place in the squad.

Sarkar was a part of the Bangladesh Cricket Boards XI side. He scored a decent 33 before retiring. Batting all-rounder Mominul Haque, who was ignored for the limited overs series, also makes a comeback. He last played against South Africa  in 2015.

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Apart from these familiar names, few new exciting uncapped players have also been given a look. All-rounder Mehdi Hassan Miraz, right arm fast bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi and wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan are the new faces who have got an opportunity to show case their talent at the Test level.

Sabbir Rahman, who has played 29 ODIs and 26 T20Is, is also one of the four uncapped players and will most likely make his debut in the first test. His inclusion adds more stability to the batting order. Left-arm spinners Shakib al Hasan and Taijul Islam along with Shuvagata Hom, the off-spinner, form the spin bowling attack.

Those who have been excluded from Bangladesh’s last Test squad, for the home series against South Africa in July 2015, are Nasir Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Rubel Hossain, while Liton Das, Mohammad Shahid and Mustafizur Rahman are all sidelined through injury.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that they considered the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch and England’s batting line-up when picking the specialist bowlers.

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“We have taken two pace bowlers taking into account that Chittagong offers a flat pitch,” Minhajul said. “We retained Shuvagata to tackle England’s left-handed batsmen. We also took [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz as a specialist offspinner as we believe he has much to offer since his performance at the U19 level. We have taken [Kamrul Islam] Rabbi because he has done well in first-class tournaments. He has a ability to bowl fast with the old ball.”

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who is also part of the revamped selection committee, was excited by inclusions of Sabbir and Nurul.

“We will try to fit in Sabbir in the XI. Having a lot of options is a good headache to have. [Nurul Hasan] Sohan is one of the best wicketkeepers in the country,” he said.

Bangladesh’s Test squad Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vice-capt), Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan , Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nurul Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Shuvagata Hom.

BD squad 1st Test v England: Rahim, Tamim, Imrul, Mominul, Shakib, Riyad, Soumya, Taijul, Miraz, Sabbir, Rabbi, Sohan, Nurul, Shafiul, Hom

— Mohammad Isam (@Isam84) October 16, 2016