Litton Das to lead Bangladesh in the one-off Test against Afghanistan
Litton Das is all set to lead Bangladesh in the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting on June 14th in Dhaka. On Sunday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 15-man squad and included two uncapped players in Shahadat Hossain and Mushfik Hasan.
Litton, who lead the ODI squad against India last December, will become the country's 12th Test skipper. The post went vacant after Shakib al Hasan sustained a finger injury during the tour of Ireland, ruling him out of this series as well.
Not the end we wanted, but proud of this team. Thanks to all for supporting us.
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Chief Selector Minhajul Abedin addressed Litton's appointment and told Cricbuzz:
"I think he (Litton) has got all the credentials to lead the Test squad and it's a big honour for him. It's an opportunity for us to see him as a Test leader and we believe he will lead from the front."
Abedin also revealed that Shahadat Hossain and Mushfik Hasan had been with them in the U-19 level and remained on the selection radar.
"Both of them have been with us from the Under-19 level and they were also part of the High Performance Unit so they were always on our radar. We are confident if they get a chance they will do well."
21-year-old Hossain, a middle-order batter made his first-class debut in 2021 and has 1,265 runs from 20 matches with two centuries. Meanwhile, fast bowler Mushfik has taken 49 scalps in 13 first-class games with three fifers. Both were part of the Bangladesh A squad in the recently-concluded unofficial Test series against West Indies A.
A remarkable feat for Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan on debut 🙌
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Shadman Islam and Rezaur Rahman did not find a place, but Taskin Ahmed and Zakir Hasan returned to the squad. Despite undergoing rehabilitation recently for a side strain, Minhajul Abedin remains confident of Taskin's availability.
Bangladesh's Test squad to face Afghanistan:
Litton Kumer Das (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mushfik Hasan.