Veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was not included in Bangladesh's ODI or T20I squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, Mahmudullah Riyad has returned to the T20I setup for the first time since 2022.
Mahmudullah last played a T20I during the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai against Sri Lanka and has been ignored for the past one and a half years. However, the 38-year-old's promising performances in the 2023 World Cup and the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) edition prompted his recall.
The spin-bowling all-rounder managed 328 runs in 8 matches in the 2023 World Cup, averaging 54.66, and currently has 184 runs in 8 fixtures in BPL 2024. Uncapped off-spinner Aliss Al Islam has found a spot in the T20I squad, which also witnessed the return of Mohammad Naim, Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam, and Taskin Ahmed.
The likes of Rony Talukdar, Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz failed to retain their spots after being included to face New Zealand in the hosts' previous T20I series.
The BCB also announced the squad for the first two out of three ODIs, along with the three-match T20I rubber.
Bangladesh T20I squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Mahmudullah, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Aliss Al Islam.
Squad for first two ODIs: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Anamul Haque Bijoy, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Litton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman.
Bangladesh to also play two red-ball matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship:
The three T20Is will take place on March 4, 6, and 9 in Sylhet, while the 50-over games will happen on March 13, 15, and 18. The subsequent two-Test series is part of the 2023–25 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.
The series opener will be hosted by Sylhet from March 22–26, while Chattogram will stage the second between March 30 and April 3.
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