BCB announces squad for T20 World Cup
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today announced the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on October 17.
There were no surprises as all 15 members of the squad were from the Tigers' squad for the ongoing New Zealand T20I series and their five-match T20I series against Australia last month.
Experienced opener Tamim Iqbal was not included in the squad after the left-hander had announced himself to be unavailable for the mega event.
There was a question if the board would include a leg-spinner, Aminul Islam Biplob, in the squad. However, the 21-year-old did not make the cut as he was named among the reserves alongside right-arm pacer Rubel Hossain.
Bangladesh went with four frontline pacers -- Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shoriful Islam.
Nurul Hasan Sohan, Liton Das and the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim are the three wicketkeepers included in the squad.
There has been a fuss over the role as a wicketkeeper in the Tigers' squad in T20Is recently as Mushfiqur, Bangladesh's usual choice behind the stumps in shorter formats, said he is unwilling to continue keeping wickets in T20Is after head coach Russell Domingo had mentioned that the wicketkeeping duty for the ongoing New Zealand series would be split among Nurul and Mushfiqur.
BCB's chief selector Minhajul Abedin, however, mentioned that picking a wicketkeeper in the playing eleven will be the team management's decision entirely.
"It is team management's decision to pick the keeper [in the playing eleven]," said Minhajul today during a press conference after naming the World Cup squad.
"There are three wicketkeepers in the squad and the team management, as they deem fit, can play any of them as the wicketkeeper," Minhajul added.
Bangladesh's T20I skipper Mahmudullah Riyad will be leading the side in Oman and the UAE.
Bangladesh have been placed in Group B alongside Papua New Guinea, Scotland and Oman in the Round 1 of the T20 World Cup. The Tigers will have to either win the group or at least manage to be runners-up in order to make it through the first round before they can be slotted with Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group 2 or England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies in Group 1.
Tigers will begin their World Cup campaign against Scotland on October 17.
Bangladesh squad: Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Liton Das, Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed
Reserve: Rubel Hossain, Aminul Islam Biplob
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