Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das included in Bangladesh's 19-man squad for New Zealand T20Is
Bangladesh have announced their squad for the upcoming home T20 series against New Zealand, which will start on September 1. It will be the final T20 assignment for Bangladesh before the T20 World Cup in October. The 19-man squad sees the return of keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das.
Mushfiqur Rahim was not part of the T20 series against Australia due to the quarantine protocols. However, the experienced right-handed batsman has come back to the fold as the hosts aim for another historic series victory. Bangladesh previously beat Australia 4-1 in a five-match T20 series.
While Rahim has been included in the squad, Tamim Iqbal continues to remain on the sidelines. Iqbal was already expected to miss the fixtures against Australia and New Zealand due to a knee injury.
Nevertheless, Liton Das has been picked in the team after missing the Australia series due to personal reasons. Shakib Al Hasan, who also plays in the IPL, will feature against New Zealand.
The Tigers should fancy themselves as slight favourites against a weakened New Zealand side, whose key players will fulfil their IPL commitments. With Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Mitchell Santner set to be in the UAE for IPL, Tom Latham will captain the visitors.
The Kiwis will face a challenge on the slow decks in Dhaka, which hugely favors spin and leads to low-scoring games.
Bangladesh also has to play the qualifiers that begin from October 14 to feature in the Super 12s. Mahmudullah's men have been clubbed with Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Scotland.
Bangladesh's squad for the five-match T20 series against New Zealand:
Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Saikat, Afif Hossain, Naim Sheikh, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Taijul islam, Mehedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Nusum Ahmed.