Afif excluded as Rishad, Jaker included in squad for Ireland T20 series

Legspinner Rishad Hossain and wicket-keeper batter Jaker Ali Anik were called up to the national team for the first time as the selection panel of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday announced a 14-member squad for the three-match T20 International series against Ireland.

Pacer Shoriful Islam however returned to the T20 squad for the first time after the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.

Axe was fallen on Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Tanvir Islam and Rejaur Rahman Raja. Afif was dropped from the ODI squad ahead of the third and final ODI against the Irish and following the trend he lost his place from the T20 squad also. He was considered one of the best T20 batters of the country but scored just 15 not out and 2 against England during Bangladesh's historical T20 series.

Left-arm spinner Tanvir made his debut in the third T20 against England and bowled two overs for one wicket in the match. Sohan, however, was in the squad for the England series but did not get a chance to play a single match. The same was the case with fast bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja as he also did not play any match during the England series.

"We have taken Jaker into consideration for his domestic cricket performance. He also did well in the 'A' team. Shoriful was injured for a long time. As he now recovered from the injury we brought him back," chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu said.

Explaining Rishad's inclusion in the team, he also said, "We want to see Rishad a bit since we are playing against Ireland. The management also wanted a leg-spinner. That's why he was taken. He has worked with our High Performance (HP) for a long time. I hope that the newcomers would make use of the opportunity.'

"We had a very successful T20 series against England as we whitewashed them to create a milestone for our cricket. Now there is a chance to see some of the players against Ireland. Therefore we brought up some changes. Those who are not in this series shouldn't think that they are completely overlooked and won't get their chance again. Opportunities will come for them. As we are trying to build a team for the next T20 World Cup we need to see a number of cricketers," Abedin further explained.

Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Litton Kumer Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali Anik.

Source: BSS