Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped as Bangladesh announce T20I squad for Sri Lanka series, two stars return to fold

Bangladesh announced their 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which is slated to begin on July 10. A notable omission from the squad was former captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Hossain Shanto's exclusion from the Bangladesh T20I squad comes after a disappointing run in 2024, where he averaged a mere 18.84 in 21 T20Is, managing only one half-century. This contrasts with his better performance in 2023, where he scored 218 runs in ten innings with an average of 31.14 and a strike rate of 119.78. Having already relinquished his T20I captaincy in January, he has now been dropped from the squad altogether.

Replacing Shanto is left-handed opener Mohammad Naim, who is among four changes made to the bowling unit. Naim's recall is likely due to his impressive form in the 2024-25 domestic season. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in both the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and the National Cricket League (NCL) T20s, amassing 827 runs at an average of 37.59 and a strike rate of 140.40, including a century and six half-centuries.

The pace bowling department sees the return of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, both of whom have recovered from injuries and featured in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. Mohammad Saifuddin has also earned a recall to the squad, marking his comeback after more than a year. Saifuddin, a 28-year-old fast bowler, was previously overlooked for the T20 World Cup last year following a poor performance against Zimbabwe. After taking a break from cricket, he has since picked up 37 wickets in the BPL and Dhaka Premier League (DPL).

Shoriful Islam, who sustained a minor groin injury during the second T20I against Pakistan in May, has been retained in the squad. In the spin department, Nasum Ahmed replaces Tanvir Islam, indicating that the selectors are still evaluating their options for left-arm spin in the shorter formats.

The second T20I match is scheduled to take place on July 13th in Kandy, and Bangladesh's tour of Sri Lanka will conclude with the final T20I on July 16th in Colombo.

Bangladesh's T20I squad for Sri Lanka series:

Litton Das (Captain), Tanzid Tamim, Parvez Emon, Naim Sheikh, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali , Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.