Published on 12:00 AM, January 01, 2017

Taijul, Hom in for T20Is

Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam. File Photo: Internet

Tanbir Haydar is the only player from the ODI squad who has not found a place in the Bangladesh team for the first T20I against New Zealand, set to take place in Napier on January 3.

The leg-spinner has been replaced by slow left-armer Taijul Islam. Mushfiqur Rahim, who had injured himself in the first ODI, also didn't find a place in the squad and it will be Nurul Hasan who will be keeping stumps.

In addition, off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who was a part of the ODI squad has also been left out. He has been replaced by Shuvagata Hom. As such, Shubhashis Roy and Taijul Islam are the two uncapped players in this squad.

Like 2016, Bangladesh will begin this year with the T20I format as well. The Tigers played more T20Is last year than any other format as they wanted to prepare themselves for the ICC World Twenty20.

So far, Bangladesh have played four T20Is against New Zealand and have lost all of them. The last time these two teams met in the shortest format was during the ICC WorldTwenty20 on March 26. While Mustafizur Rahman did take a five-wicket haul in that game, the Tigers were thrashed by 75 runs.

11 members from that World Cup squad have been included in this squad.

Meanwhile, New Zealand opener New Zealand opener Martin Guptill will miss the Twenty20 series against Bangladesh with a hamstring injury and has been replaced by in-form batsman Neil Broom, the country's cricket board announced yesterday.

Guptill will be sidelined for up to four weeks after he sustained the injury while running between the wickets in the third one-day international against Bangladesh at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Saturday.

Broom was in fine form during the ODI series against Bangladesh, scoring 109 (not out) and 97 runs in his last two innings as the hosts completed a 3-0 series sweep.

SQUAD

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarker, Shabbir Rahaman, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (Vice Captain), Mosaddek Hossain Saikot, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shuvagata Hom, Shubashis Roy, Taijul Islam, Nurul Hasan Sohan