Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak is likely to be recalled in the Bangladesh Test squad after a three-year break to play the Test series against touring Sri Lanka beginning on Wednesday (January 31) at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong in place of injured all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
The 36-year-old spinner also played his last Test for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in the same venue in Chittagong on February 4-8 in 2014.
Abdur Razzak, who emerged as the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach the land mark of grabbing 500 wickets in the first class cricket earlier this month, is excepted to fly for Chittagong very soon to join the Bangladesh Test team that reached the port city on Sunday afternoon along with the Sri Lanka team.
“We’re considering Abdur Razzak in the absence of Shakib, but we’ll take the final decision after the team meeting very soon,” Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu told UNB on Sunday evening.
Earlier, Bangladesh Test captain Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka due to finger injury after missing out batting on the final of the Tri-nation ODI series on Saturday. Bangladesh Cricket Board physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said although the X-ray report came clear, the injury required stitches.
Shakib suffered injury during fielding when Sri Lankans were on 175/5 in 41.1 overs in the final of the Tri-nation series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Earlier on Saturday, left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam and leg-break bowler Tanbir Hayder were included in the already announced Bangladesh squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Sunzamul and Tanbir joined Bangladesh Under-19 off-spinner Naeem Hasan as the three uncapped cricketers in the squad.
Bangladesh Squad for first Test: Mahmudullah Riyad, Tamim Iqbal, Liton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mosaddek Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamrul Islam, Mehidy Hassan, Rubel Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Sunzamul Islam and Tanbir Hayder.
