Mushfiqur Rahim enlisted in 21-member Bangladesh Tigers Program

In a recent development, Bangladesh's 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, Mushfiqur Rahim, has been included in the 21-member squad for the Bangladesh Tigers Program, set to commence on (Sunday) May 26. 

Mushfiqur, who incurred a contusion on his right thumb while keeping during the final ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, was ruled out of the following two-match Test series. After his hiatus, he re-entered the cricketing scene approximately a month later, joining Prime Bank in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, where he scored an impressive 380 runs in seven matches.

The camp will involve 21 players engaging in rigorous conditioning and tactical brainstorming sessions at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka. Additionally, it will be conducted in phases across various venues, including Sylhet and Chittagong. The camp will be instrumental in providing players with a valuable platform to hone their abilities and bolster their mental toughness in anticipation of upcoming trials and tribulations.

Also Read: Mushfiqur Rahim ruled out of Sri Lanka Tests due to thumb injury

'We did not know about wife expecting child, he did not inform us about anything' - Chief selector on Rahim

Meanwhile, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chief selector of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), revealed to correspondents at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday that bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin had not informed anyone about his wife expecting their child. Consequently, he requested leave from the secondary program. He further mentioned that if he had accompanied the team to the US, he would have undoubtedly participated in the T20 matches against the US.

"We did not know about it (wife expecting child) earlier as he did not inform us about anything and if anyone is injured or unavailable, in that case, we are informed beforehand. I believe if he had gone, he would have fulfilled national duty and as this is a secondary programme (Tigers), he requested for leave," Hossain was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Furthermore, Hossain explained that they had selected six players to train with the white ball as emergency backups in case of any unforeseen circumstances affecting the 15-member squad. He mentioned that they've chosen Khaled Ahmed to fill in for Saifuddin, who'd be reuniting with the group on June 10. Anamul Haque and Nurul Hasan were chosen as additional wicketkeeping options due to Jaker Ali's minor injury concern.

Also Read: 'Taskin's improvement is very good and satisfying' - Bangladesh confident of fast bowler's recovery in time for T20 World Cup

Additionally, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were named among the six players. Furthermore, he noted that the left-arm orthodox bowler had informed them the previous night about his unavailability for the first four to five days due to jaundice.

"We have chosen six players for the white-ball format as standby for members of the World Cup. We have chosen Anamul Haque while we have also picked Sohan (Nurul Hasan), since Jaker has a problem. We had kept Saifuddin and now there is Khaled, while Saifuddin is expected to join in on June 10. There is Emon (Parvez Hossain), Nasum Ahmed and, Mehedy Hasan. Last night, Nasum gave us letter that he will not be available for first four to five days as he is suffering from jaundice," Hossain concluded.