The Bangladesh Cricket Board Friday announced the 15-man squad for the upcoming one-off Test match against Afghanistan.
Shakib al Hasan returned with the captaincy armband after not taking part in the last Test series against New Zealand.
Bangladesh last played a Test, against the Kiwis, back in February under the captaincy of Mahmudullah as regular skipper Shakib was injured.
Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman has been rested and another pacer from the last Test series, Khaled Ahmed, has not been included as he has not recovered from his injury yet.
The other two pacers in the squad are Abu Jayed and Ebadat Hossain.
Opener Tamim Iqbal was granted a month’s leave earlier, meaning Bangladesh would get a new opening pair against the Afghans.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday appointed Julian Calefato as the national team Physiotherapist. https://t.co/UhHR9ZeBjz
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) August 27, 2019
Shadman Islam is likely to take the opening spot and either Soumya Sarkar or Liton Das will fill the void.
Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed and middle-order batsman Mosaddek Hossain have been recalled.
Taskin last played a Test back in 2017 against South Africa away from home while Mosaddek last featured against Sri Lanka at home in February, 2018.
Bangladesh have opted for three specialist spinners in the squad, excluding Shakib’s left-arm spin, in the form of Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan.
The Tigers underwent a fitness and conditioning camp in the last few days ahead of the home series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh players also took part in a practice match Friday by dividing into two groups - Bangladesh Green and Bangladesh Red.
Wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan is considered as one of the best wicketkeepers in Bangladesh cricket. https://t.co/IlRltKALzW
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) August 27, 2019
On day one, Bangladesh Red scored 268 losing all of their wickets in 84.1 overs.
Shakib was cleaned up in the first ball he faced, against Taskin, while experienced campaigner Mahmudullah made 107 off 189 deliveries.
Taskin was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh Green as he took four wickets conceding 46 runs in his 12 overs, while Ebadat bagged three.
Afghanistan have already arrived and will play a two-day practice match against BCB XI Sunday and Monday in Chittagong’s MA Aziz Stadium.
The Test will start Thursday at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city.
Squad
Shakib al Hasan (C), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain
