Bangladesh have shuffled their pack for the men’s T20 World Cup, reinstating the fit-again Taskin Ahmed and, for the first time since early 2024, leaving out middle-order batter Jaker Ali. Litton Das continues as captain.
Jaker’s omission hardly comes as a bolt from the blue. The right-hander has played every one of Bangladesh’s 45 T20Is since March 2024, yet runs have dried up and his almost one-dimensional targeting of the leg side has attracted plenty of criticism. Selectors felt they could no longer ignore that slump.
The top of the order looks settled enough: Litton, Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan are in form and, barring late injury, walk straight in. Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan provide experience through the middle, while Parvez Hossain Emon – impressive at No. 4 in the ongoing BPL – keeps his spot and offers a left-hand option.
Bowling remains the side’s trump card. A fully fit Taskin joins Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin in a pace unit that gives Litton all phases covered. In the spin department, Rishad Hossain’s leg-breaks lead the way, with Nasum Ahmed’s left-arm orthodox and Mahedi Hasan’s tidy powerplay off-spin rounding things off.
On paper, the fixture list is straightforward: three group matches in Kolkata followed by one in Mumbai. In practice it may change. The BCB plans to write to the ICC requesting a switch to Sri Lanka after Kolkata Knight Riders released Mustafizur from their IPL contract under BCCI instruction. The board worries about crowd reaction and workload, though nothing is signed off yet.
Squad at a glance
Litton Das (capt), Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam.
There is experience, there is youth, and – importantly – there is pace. Whether the balance proves right on slower World Cup pitches will shape Bangladesh’s campaign, but for now the message is clear enough: form matters, fitness matters, and the door is always open for a bowler topping 140 kph.
