Bangladesh have shuffled the pack again. Five players return for the three-match Twenty20 series in Sri Lanka next week, while Najmul Hossain Shanto, short of runs and short on luck, has been told to press the reset button at home.
The numbers explain the call. In 2024 Shanto managed 397 runs in 21 T20Is at 18.84, only once passing fifty. The left-hander stepped down as skipper in January and now slips out of the squad altogether. Chief selector Minhajul Abedin put it bluntly at Thursday’s media briefing in Mirpur: “We want Najmul to clear his head and score heavily in domestic cricket. The door is not shut.”
Mohammad Naim walks through that door. The opener, 35 caps behind him already, topped both the BPL and the NCL T20 run charts last season – 827 runs, average 37.59, strike-rate 140.40, a ton and six fifties. “It’s good to be back,” Naim said after training on Friday. “I’ve tried to tighten my game in the powerplay and stay busy throughout the middle overs.”
There is movement in the seam department too. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, both coming off injury lay-offs, are fit again and even shared the new ball in Wednesday’s opening ODI in Colombo. Taskin admitted he was still feeling his way: “The rhythm is about 90 per cent there, but I can hit the hard lengths when needed.” Mustafizur, grinning at the same press conference, added: “The cutter is behaving nicely – the rest is up to the captain.”
Mohammad Saifuddin’s return is the more curious story. Left out of last year’s T20 World Cup after an erratic series against Zimbabwe, the all-rounder took a self-imposed two-month break, worked on his action and strength, and collected 37 wickets across the BPL and DPL once he resurfaced. Selector Habibul Bashar believes the gamble is worth it. “Saif gives us death-overs options and late-order hitting. If he stays fit, he balances the XI.”
Shoriful Islam, who felt a groin twinge against Pakistan in May, stays in. The spin cupboard, meanwhile, revolves again: Nasum Ahmed replaces Tanvir Islam, continuing the back-and-forth between the two left-armers. Bowling coach Rangana Herath had a simple explanation: “Conditions in Pallekele and Dambulla usually take a bit of spin early in July, so Nasum’s extra drift could be useful.”
Bangladesh travel to Sri Lanka on Monday. The T20Is are set for 10 July in Pallekele, 13 July in Dambulla and 16 July in Colombo – three contrasting venues, three nights under lights, and, if the monsoon clouds behave, a decent yard-stick for both sides ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Squad in full: Litton Das (capt & wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.
Ins: Mohammad Naim, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin
Outs: Khaled Ahmed, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto
A fair shake, then, for a side still searching for the right mix. As Abedin concluded, “We’re not chopping and changing for fun – we’re chasing rhythm before the bigger tournaments come around.”
