The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced men’s squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa. Apart from Khaled Ahmed, everyone else who was listed in the 16-member squad for their recent tour to India made the cut. The right-arm medium pacer had a match to forget in Kanpur. In the four overs he bowled, he was belted around for 43 runs without claiming any wickets.
Shakib Al Hasan, who had expressed his desire to hang his boots from the longest format of the game to the BCB a few weeks earlier amid concerns revolving around his safety in the light of the student protests which went down in Bangladesh a few months ago, was granted his wish as he found his name in the roster. The Mirpur Test which is scheduled for October 21 will be Shakib’s 72nd and last from the format, and he would want to end his journey in the most befitting way possible.
The series against the Proteas will also be Bangladesh’s first assignment under interim coach Phil Simmons, whose appointment was announced a day after the governing body axed Chandika Hathurusinghe from the position for disciplinary reasons linked to slapping a player during the side’s campaign at the World Cup last year.
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Bangladesh were tamed by India in an obliterating whitewash after registering a historic away series win in Pakistan. They currently sit on seventh place in the standings of the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship. South Africa, on the other hand, are fifth on the WTC standings, having most recently won a two-match series in the West Indies in August. Shortly after the series against South Africa, Bangladesh will be heading into a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
Bangladesh’s squad for first Test against South Africa: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Nahid Rana.