BCB ring in changes to T20 squad

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced a squad with a starling few alterations for the upcoming three-match T20I series in India slated to begin on November 3.

Left-arm off-spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Al-Amin Hossain, who last featured for the Tigers in any format back in the 2016 World Twenty20 tournament, were both included in the squad.

The experienced trio of Sabbir Rahman, Taijul Islam and Rubel Hossain were all dropped alongside youngster Nazmul Hossain Shanto. All four had featured in the tri-series at home involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in September. Meanwhile, Soumya Sarkar, who was dropped from the recent tri-series squad following the first two matches due to lack of form, was surprisingly handed yet another opportunity.

Leg-spinner Aminul Islam Biplob and Naim Sheikh were retained but Sheikh Mahedi Hasan and Yasin Arafat Mishu did not make the cut. Bangladesh will also be bolstered by the return of Tamim Iqbal, who sat out the home series to work on his fitness and recover lost form.

According to BCB chief selector Minhazul Abedin, the team think-tank rung in the changes with an emphasis on experience and fitness in mind.

"T20 is a format where we have to experiment. That's why there were so many changes. Since India is a tough series, we preferred some experienced players and that is why Arafat Sunny and Al-Amin were brought back into the lineup," Minhazul told The Daily Star yesterday.

"We have brought Al-Amin back after a long time as we are struggling with injuries and fitness of the pace bowlers.

"Al-Amin's has shown good fitness. He bowled well in the NCL and in the last BPL. He also performed well in the T20 World Cup in India. We wanted to give him another opportunity and see what he can do.

"Sunny is an experienced campaigner. He bowled well in a few domestic tournaments and he has the experience. We feel that his experience could be handy in pressure situations," the chief selector concluded.

SQUAD

Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal Khan, Liton Kumer Das, Soumya Sarker, Naim Sheikh, Mushfiqur Rahhim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Aminul Islam Biplob, Arafat Sunny, Mohammad Saifuddin, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam.