Bangladesh’s best cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan has been included in the Bangladesh squad which is set to host the West Indies next week. This means that the star allrounder Hasan will be looking to make a comeback to top-flight international cricket after missing the action for a year owing to a suspension handed over by ICC, as Hasan had failed to report a corrupt approach. Hasan has been included in Bangladesh’s 18 member ODI squad against the West Indies.
First assignment for Shakib Al Hasan after the ban:
It will be the first assignment for Hasan after serving a year-long ban from international cricket. He was also named in the 24-man preliminary squad for this series. The 33-year old cricketer who was previously the captain of Bangladesh’s Test and T20I team before being handed the ban took part in active cricket in Bangabandhu T20 Cup in November 2020. Apart from Hasan, pacers Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed too find a place in the squad.
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Bangladesh chief selector, Minhajul Abedin was quoted saying, “Naturally we are delighted to have Shakib Al Hasan back in the squad as we all know is a game-changer and we are expecting him to return to his best very soon.” He went on to add that, “We have picked Rubel Hossain as he bowled well in the domestic tournament while Taskin was injured earlier but now as he is fit and the way he is bowling, we felt that he deserves a chance.”
While the former captain and current selector Habibul Bashar observed that, “ Shakib and Mushfiqur [Rahim] are our genuine allrounders, which many teams don’t have. We can always play with an extra bowler or batsman when we have these two players in the side. Shakib’s inclusion is going to help the team’s balance. He wasn’t around for a long time but I hope he can return to his old form through this series.”
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Notable players who have missed out from the squad include former captain Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Al Amin Hossain, and Naeem Sheikh. Mashrafe Mortaza was not even included in the 24-man preliminary squad for this series.
Bangladesh ODI squad:
Tamim Iqbal (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam
