Bangladesh have announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and a three-match T20I series against the Netherlands as a lead-up to the tournament. Litton Das, who led the side to a series victory over Sri Lanka and followed it up with another against Pakistan last month, will captain the side in what will be his first multi-national assignment in the role.
Bangladesh selectors have left out all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and batter Mohammad Naim, both of whom were part of the squad that faced Pakistan in Bangladesh’s most recent T20I assignment. Naim was selected for the first time since 2022 for the Sri Lanka tour after his incredible run in both of Bangladesh’s domestic T20 competitions, the National Cricket League (NCL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He was the highest run-scorer in both tournaments, however, he could not replicate the same domestic brilliance on his international return, having scored a modest 45 runs across three games.
Mehidy, on the other hand, was earlier left out for the UAE series in May. But even on his comeback to the side in the following series, the all-rounder was unable to impress the selectors. He has been named in the stand-by players for the Asia Cup along with Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, and Soumya Sarkar, and would have missed the Netherlands tour for personal reasons anyway.
In their place, wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan and all-rounder Saif Hassan have been called up. Nurul last played a T20I game for Bangladesh in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he managed just 41 runs across five games. He recently led Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) to the title in the Global Super League (GSL), and while his returns with the bat weren’t too impressive, he can fill in as the backup wicketkeeper for Bangladesh.
His GAW teammate Saif, meanwhile, has a total of five T20I caps, three of which came in the Asian Games in 2023. His 41-run knock in the GSL final helped Guyana Amazon Warriors to beat Rangpur Riders.
But what guaranteed his comeback more was his form in the Top End T20 series, where he notched up a fifty in his first game. His 47-run knock against Melbourne Stars Academy was the second-highest individual score involving both teams on a tricky Darwin track.
Bangladesh will play the three T20Is against the Netherlands on August 30, September 1, and September 3. The team will fly to Dubai from the Netherlands after the series for the Asia Cup, where along with Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, they form Group B. Their campaign begins against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on September 11.
Bangladesh Squad for Netherlands series and the Asia Cup
Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Shaif Uddin
Stand by (For Asia Cup Only): Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Excluded: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Naim
Included: Saif Hasan, Nurul Hasan
