Bangladesh picked up three uncapped cricketers for the first two matches of a three-match T20 series against England later this month on Wednesday. After strong performances in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, batsman Towhid Hridoy, speed bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja, and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam were named to the squad. Apart from the three, Rony Talukdar has returned to the national team after an eight-year absence due to his outstanding batting performance in the BPL. The 32-year-old made his sole international debut in 2015 and has since fought his way back into the squad.
Shamim Hosain, meanwhile, has returned to the Bangladesh squad for the first time since 2021. Talukdar, who played his sole T20I in July 2015, was the BPL’s second-highest run-scorer in the previous season. “We have a couple men that have minor injuries. Shamim was added as their new cover. “A decision on whether to play him in the match will be made later,” stated a Bangladesh Cricket Board representative. The 22-year-old left-hander has appeared in 10 T20 Internationals for Bangladesh but is yet to play in an ODI. He was previously picked up for the T20 series against England following an outstanding performance in the recently ended Bangladesh Premier League competition in the short format.
Talukdar was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2022-23 BPL season, with 425 runs at 129.18, followed by Hridoy with 403 runs. Tanvir Islam, meanwhile, was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, with 17 scalps in 12 games. The three-match T20 series begins on March 9th in Chattogram, with the next two matches taking place in Dhaka on March 12th and 14th. It will also be the first bilateral T20I series between the two countries. Respectively, in the competition. “They all performed well in the BPL, which is why we selected them. Rony performed admirably throughout the competition, as did Shamim, while the debutants performed admirably in the shortest format to win their place” Cricbuzz spoke with BCB’s top selector, Minhajul Abedin. Yasir Ali, Soumya Sarkar, Ebadot Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, and Shoriful Islam were all left out of the team, although Abedin stated that they may always make a comeback. “We will meet with them in the coming days to discuss our plans because they are part of our group of 20 to 22 people.”
Bangladesh is presently engaged in a three-match one-day international series against England. The T20 series will follow the ODI series, with the opening match slated for March 9 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The second and third matches will take staged on March 12 and 14, respectively, at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. This will be Bangladesh and England’s first bilateral T20 international series. Bangladesh will field a 15-man T20I team against England. Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Rejaur Rahman Raja, and Tanvir Islam are the team’s players.
