The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan on Sunday.
The two-match series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and will be played in Rawalpindi and Karachi from 21-25 August and 30 August-3 September, respectively.
The Bangladesh team will land in Lahore on the morning of 13 August and will train at the Gaddafi Stadium from 14-16 August.
They will travel to Islamabad on 17 August to hold practice sessions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 18-20 August.
Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the Bangladesh squad, while veteran wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan are also part of the squad.
“The emphasis was on picking our best players for this version. This is a well-balanced squad. The likes of Mushfiqur [Rahim], Mominul [Haque] and Shakib [Al Hasan] have played 216 matches combined and there is no substitute for that kind of experience,” said Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the Chairman of the National Selection Panel.
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“Taijul [Islam] and Miraz [Mehidy Hasan] have been leading the spin department for a long time and have over 350 wickets between them.
“We also expect [Najmul Hossain] Shanto, Litton [Das] and the other batsmen to step up because to be competitive against Pakistan, we will need a team effort.”
Gazi Ashraf Hossain also confirmed that pace bowler Taskin Ahmed will only participate in the second Test as he is also part of the Bangladesh A squad for two four-day matches against Pakistan Shaheens.
Taskin will play both matches against the Shaheens to get into the rhythm before partaking in the second Test against Pakistan.
Bangladesh squad for Test series against Pakistan
Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed
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