New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) Taskin Ahmed has made his return as Bangladesh named their squad for the first of the two Test matches against the West Indies at home.
Taskin was rested for Bangladesh’s previous Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, which was a heroic draw for Afghanistan. Taskin, who had wished Hasan Mahmud for his hat-trick in the Afghanistan Test, is now back in the squad in place of Khaled Ahmed for the Test that will begin on October 28 in Mirpur.
White-ball captain Litton Das, who missed the ODI tri-series in the UAE due to a hip injury, has also been included, while Soumya Sarkar has been dropped from the 15-member team after he warmed the benches against Australia and Afghanistan. His last Test came more than five years back in February 2021.
Meanwhile, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has also been included after he played in one of the two tri-series games due to a viral fever.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s squad features three specialist spinners and as many fast bowlers. Mehidy, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan will shoulder the spin duties, as it remains interesting to see what surface will be dished out for the opener. Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan and Taskin are the pacers, while Nahid Rana is absent as he is on the mend from a side strain.
The two Tests will be crucial for Bangladesh in their push for the World Test Championship 2027 final. They are currently in fourth place with three wins from six matches, a draw and two losses. Their PCT currently reads 55.56%, and they sit below South Africa, who recently won the second Test against Australia and have a PCT of 66.67%.
Bangladesh squad for the first Test against the West Indies:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Taskin Ahmed, Jaker Ali, Litton Das (wk), Mominul Haque, Tanzid Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Tawhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan
–IANS
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