Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana are back in Bangladesh’s T20I line-up for the three-match series against Australia that starts in Chattogram next week. Both quicks sat out the April trip to New Zealand, officially “rested”, but remain first-choice whenever Bangladesh want pace off the top. To squeeze them in, the selectors have let Ripon Mondol and the injury-prone Mohammad Saifuddin sit this one out.
Rana’s international record is still only a single T20I – against the UAE last May – while Taskin last played the format on the Zimbabwe tour in October 2025. Chief selector Habibul Bashar admitted the pair were automatic picks once fit. “We expect them to set the tone with the new ball,” he said on Tuesday.
There is only one other change from that New Zealand squad: Towhid Hridoy returns to bolster a batting group that looked thin at the finish in Hamilton.
The Test set-up, preparing for a one-off match in Harare from 28 June, has a very different feel. Batter-keeper Najmul Hossain Shanto leads a party missing senior bowlers Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Taskin and Rana. Bashar called it rotation rather than revolution.
“Hridoy had been picked to add to the aggression with the bat,” Bashar explained. The 23-year-old has 52 ODIs and 59 T20Is behind him, yet only 16 first-class matches. Even so, the selectors want middle-order intent and point to his three first-class hundreds as proof he can bat time when asked.
Bangladesh have also handed a first Test call-up to Robiul Haque. A steady medium-fast bowler who bats better than most tail-enders, he owns 107 wickets and 620 runs in 32 first-class games. Bashar likes the package: Robiul “could be nurtured as a fast-bowling allrounder”, he said. Khaled Ahmed, out since last year’s series in India, comes back as well.
The Test squad departs for Zimbabwe on 23 June, two days after the final T20I in Chattogram. That overlap is deliberate; the coaching staff want to keep workloads sensible and avoid last-minute dashes across continents.
Fixtures
17 June – 1st T20I v Australia, Chattogram
19 June – 2nd T20I, Chattogram
21 June – 3rd T20I, Chattogram
28 June – Only Test v Zimbabwe, Harare
T20I squad v Australia
Litton Das (capt & wk), Parvez Hossain, Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain
Test squad v Zimbabwe
Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Towhid Hridoy, Amite Hasan, Robiul Haque
Quick analysis
1. Pace depth looks healthier. Taskin, Rana and Gaffar Saqlain give the T20 side three bowlers capable of 140 kph, something Bangladesh have rarely enjoyed, particularly at home.
2. Hridoy’s double role. By picking him in both squads the selectors are testing whether his white-ball methods translate to the longer format. The concern is his limited first-class experience; the upside is a naturally positive approach that could unsettle Zimbabwe’s spinners.
3. Robiul’s opportunity. Bangladesh are forever searching for a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder. Robiul is still raw, but a gentle introduction in Harare – rather than, say, Perth or Johannesburg – makes sense.
4. Rotation watch. Resting Mehidy and Shoriful from the Test hints at a bigger plan aimed at the next WTC cycle. Managing overs now should, in theory, mean fewer breakdowns later.
Nothing here feels like a gamble, yet Bangladesh have left themselves room for discovery. If Hridoy thrives in whites or Robiul grabs a five-for, the tour will already be judged a success, whatever the final scores.
