Bangladesh name 4 uncapped players for Afghanistan series

Bangladesh have named four uncapped players for their three-match home ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on February 23. Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan Joy are the newcomers in the 15-member side that will travel to Chattogram shortly after the BPL final on February 18.

All four have played in other formats for Bangladesh with Ebadot, Yasir and Joy part of the Bangladesh Test side that drew the away series against New Zealand last month. Nasum has been a regular in the T20I side since last year.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said he was confident that Ebadot, Joy and Shanto, who has returned to the ODI side after missing the last series against Zimbabwe, would be able to transfer their form from Test cricket to the limited-overs setup.

"Ebadot is a Test bowler but he has been impressive with the white ball recently," Abedin said. "He has worked hard on his control, which is why we have considered him. Joy played a tremendous innings in the Test match (a 228-ball 78 in Bangladesh's win at Mount Maunganui), so we are expecting something from him in the ODIs.

"We are confident that he can fit into the middle order. He is dependable. He can play for a long time if he plays with confidence. Nasum has shown consistency in T20Is and domestic cricket. Shanto is a regular Test player which gives us the confidence that he will do well."

There was, however, no place for Mohammad Naim, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin and Rubel Hossain. They were part of the 17-man ODI squad that played against Zimbabwe last July.

Abedin said the selectors wanted to give Naim a break after his run of poor form recently. "When a player doesn't have form for a considerable amount of time, it puts him into depression. I felt that we should give him time to overcome this, and come back fresh. He remains in our sights. He will be in our pool. I am sure he will join the team shortly."

Abedin also said Mominul Haque, for long considered a Test specialist, was part of the discussion but missed out on selection. "He is always in our discussions," Abedin said. "We talked about him even today, before finalizing the squad. He is in our consideration."

Bangladesh's three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, part of the ICC's ODI Super League, will be played in Chattogram on February 23, 25 and 28. The visitors have already arrived in the country, where they are taking part in a training camp in Sylhet.

Source: ESPNcricinfo