Litton Das is set to make a return to ODIs after a lengthy absence, as Bangladesh announce their squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka next month. Bangladesh have made five changes to the squad that last played a one-day format game during the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Two of those changes come in the wake of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim’s retirements, both of whom bid adieu to the format after the Champions Trophy.
Das, who was axed from the team after his rough patch, will make a comeback after more than six months, having missed the eight-team Champions Trophy in Pakistan. He scored 6 runs across five ODI games last year. Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said Litton’s return was influenced by his appointment as Bangladesh’s shortest format captain.
“Litton Das was in a bad patch but time is the best healer,” Ashraf said. “He is the T20 captain, so we can consider him till the next T20 World Cup. If someone has to return to form, it is best to spend a long time in the middle. We feel that Litton can take his form from ODIs to T20Is.”
Besides the changes due to retirements and Litton’s return, Bangladesh have also called in opening batter Mohammad Naim, middle-order batsman Shamim Hossain, uncapped left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, and pacer Hasan Mahmud for the white-ball tour. Naim has earned a call-up after his brilliant performance during Bangladesh’s domestic List A competition, the Dhaka Premier League. He was the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer.
“Naim has shown that he can bat with the same intensity as our [recent] white-ball openers,” Ashraf said. “He has done well in the Dhaka Premier League. We also have someone like Soumya Sarkar, who has ten years of international experience. [He has been dropped because] we want to help him recover fully, so that he can come back properly.”
Bangladesh have dropped Soumya Sarkar and Nasum Ahmed from the squad. Sarkar has been dealing with plenty of injuries lately, which saw him miss Bangladesh’s recent series against UAE and Pakistan.
“Soumya Sarkar has had three injuries in the last 12-15 months,” Ashraf said. “He had an ACL injury against Sri Lanka last year. He had a finger injury in West Indies. Recently, he suffered a back spasm when we were considering him for the UAE series. He didn’t recover in time, so he couldn’t play any matches. We couldn’t keep him on the side against Pakistan. We want him to recover fully and return to consideration.”
But the side will be happy to have both their premier pacers, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed, back in the squad. The pair will be joined by Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana to form a formidable pace attack.
“We have included five fast bowlers in the ODI side as we have Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed returning from injuries. We are also mindful of Nahid Rana’s workload management, so we have kept enough options to choose from.”
Bangladesh ODI squad for Sri Lanka series:
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud.
