Riyad back in Test fold, Nasir axed
Mahmudullah made a comeback to the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against South Africa starting from September 28 as the selectors yesterday named a 15-man squad that also saw the re-inclusion of pacers Rubel Hossain and Subhasish Roy among the five seamers to strengthen the fast bowling department keeping South Africa's bouncy pitches in mind.
Shakib Al Hasan, who asked for a break from Test cricket, was also granted leave for the South Africa Tests, but according to chief selector Minhajul Abedin the all-rounder can join the side for the second Test if he so wishes.
Minhajul said that its' always difficult to form the team without Shakib, but also added that they respect the request as Shakib has been playing cricket continuously for a long time.
"Obviously it's difficult for us to make a team without him as we always prefer to have Shakib, being the best all-rounder in the world. At the same time we also have to think about his mental aspect and being a former player I know how difficult it is to perform your best when you are not mentally fit. From that point of view we should also respect his decision," said Minhajul at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. The selectors have opted to retain Taijul Islam in the squad as a replacement for Shakib.
Meanwhile, Nasir Hossain was also excluded from the squad after his below-par performances in the recently concluded series against Australia.
Mahmudullah, who played his last Test against Sri Lanka in Galle earlier this year, was dropped from the prestigious 100th Test that followed after a string of low scores. The 33-Test veteran will certainly add some experience in the line-up in Shakib's absence.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha had earlier said that Mahmdullah will have to wait for his Test chance despite his magnificent century against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy this year.
"It was my decision to include Mahmudullah in the squad for his ability to play well on bouncy pitches,; we have seen that he batted well in England. I am hopeful that he will be able to perform well with the way he has been batting recently," he said.
The selectors also backed Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes, mainly for the lack of options, despite their failures against Australia.
"We have kept Imrul as we know it will be a challenging tour in South Africa and there will be hugely difference from what we encountered against Australia at home. We did not want to put his [Imrul's] career at risk and kept our faith in him as he is an experienced campaigner and we will have our eyes on him, hoping that he will score runs," Minhajul added.
SQUAD
Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Liton Das, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Subhasish Roy, Mominul Haque.
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