Former captain back as Bangladesh name squad for first Sri Lanka Test
Bangladesh have named a strong 15-member squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Sylhet, which begins on 22 March.
Wicketkeeper batter and former captain Litton Das returns to the Bangladesh Test side after he missed the previous series against New Zealand due to paternity leave.
Litton, who was the captain of the Test side at that point, was replaced by Najmul Hossain Shanto at the helm for the series and the latter was subsequently named captain of all three formats last month.
This ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka will be Najmul's first assignment with the Test team since taking over as full-time captain.
Bangladesh's Litton Das was the leading run-scorer for his side with a brisk 76 against England in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
Litton, who was recently dropped from the ODI squad after an ordinary run of form, has played 39 Tests, making 2394 runs at an average of 36.27. He was also the designated wicketkeeper in 28 of these Test matches.
Nurul Hasan, who kept wickets in place of Litton in the home Test series against New Zealand, misses out from the squad.
The 15-member squad also sees a call-up for newbie pacers Nahid Rana and Mushfik Hasan. Senior pacer Ebadot Hossain hasn't returned since the knee injury last year which saw him miss the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India.
“Rana is a very exciting prospect. He is probably the quickest bowler in Bangladesh at the moment and can also extract steep bounce," former Bangladesh player and a member of the current selection panel, Abdur Razzak, said.
"Although these are early days for him, his first-class record is quite impressive. There is another young pacer Mushfik Hasan in the squad. This is the right time for these pacers to get the experience as Ebadot (Hossain) is out injured and Taskin (Ahmed) is also not playing Tests at the moment.”
Batting highlights as Najmul Hossain Shanto hit a half-century for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
The first Test begins in Sylhet on 22 March with the following match in Chattogram from 30 March.
Bangladesh Test squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Kumer Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Mushfik Hasan, Nahid Rana.