Bangladesh have revealed their 16-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan which is set to start from October 2.
Bangladesh's T20I squad for Afghanistan series announced
Bangladesh have chosen to retain Jaker Ali Anik as captain for the Afghanistan series, a decision made due to the unavailability of regular skipper Litton Das. Jaker had initially stepped in for Litton during Bangladesh's final two matches of the Asia Cup Super Four after Litton sustained a rib injury in a training session just before the match against India in Dubai.
Jaker Ali to lead the side in absence of Litton Das
However, Jaker struggled during the Asia Cup, losing both matches as captain and managing only 71 runs across six games. His batting performance was modest, averaging 23.66 with a strike rate of 107.57, though he did record a top score of 41 not out against Sri Lanka in the group stage. Bangladesh ultimately crashed out of the tournament after a loss to Pakistan in their final Super Four game, having initially won against Sri Lanka but then losing momentum against India and Pakistan.
In squad news, Bangladesh has recalled left-handed batter Soumya Sarkar, who last played T20Is during the tour of the West Indies last year. Soumya recently showed good form while representing Khulna Division in the National Cricket League, posting scores of 63 and 45 against Rajshahi Division and Dhaka Metro, respectively.
The T20I series against Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on October 2, 3, and 5 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This will be followed by a three-match ODI series, which is set to run from October 8 to 14.
Bangladesh's T20I squad for Afghanistan series:
Jaker Ali Anik (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Md Shaif Uddin, Soumya Sarkar
The Schedule:
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 1st T20I: Oct 02, Thursday, Sharjah
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 2nd T20I: Oct 03, Friday, Sharjah
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I: Oct 05, Sunday, Sharjah