New T20I captain named as Bangladesh announce squad for UAE, Pakistan tour

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday named wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das as the captain of a 16-member T20I squad for the upcoming tours of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.

The decision to name Litton as captain came after Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down earlier this year.

Litton Das captained Bangladesh in a T20I series last year against the West Indies in Shanto’s absence due to an injury.

The wicket-keeper batter has led Bangladesh in one Test, seven ODIs, and four T20Is. However, this is the first time that he has been named full-time captain in any format.

The 30-year-old was also part of the Karachi Kings squad in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, but he was ruled out of the tournament due to a finger injury.

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Meanwhile, Mahedi Hasan has been named as vice-captain for the series.

It is pertinent to mention that Bangladesh will play a two-match T20I series against the UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19.

They will then head to Pakistan for a five-match T20I series, which will commence on 25 May and continue until 3 June. The series will be played across two venues, Faisalabad and Lahore.

Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad will stage the first and second T20Is of the series, scheduled on 25 and 27 May, respectively.

For the unversed, Iqbal Stadium, which has previously hosted 24 Tests and 16 ODIs between 1978 and 2008, will welcome back international cricket after a 17-year hiatus. The historic venue’s last international fixture was an ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan in April 2008.

Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the remaining three T20Is, scheduled on 30 May, 1 and 3 June. All five matches will begin at 8pm (Pakistan Standard Time).

The Bangladesh team will arrive on 21 May and will undergo training sessions at the Iqbal Stadium from 22 to 24 May.

Bangladesh T20I Squad for UAE and Pakistan Tour

Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (vc), Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful Islam

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