Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced a 14-member Bangladesh squad to play the Rocket first Test of the two-match series against England scheduled for October 20-24 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong including batsman Sabbir Rahman in the squad.
Wicketkeeper cum batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will lead the Bangladesh Test team that made six chances to their previous squad.
Sabbir Rahman is one of four uncapped players in the 14-man Bangladesh Test squad alongside the former Under-19 captain Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Nurul Hasan Shohan.
Sabbir Rahman has played 29 ODIs and 26 T20Is but is yet to make his Test debut. Though widely acclaimed for his talented strokeplay, he has also displayed a petulance that may not be suited to the Test version.
Pacer Shafiul Islam and off-spinner Shuvagata Hom also included in the squad.
Six players, who have been excluded from Bangladesh’s last Test squad that played the home series against South Africa in July last year are Nasir Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Liton Das, Mohammad Shahid and injured Mustafizur Rahman.
National chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu said that they considered the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch and England’s batting line-up when picking the specialist bowlers.
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who is also part of the selection committee, was satisfied with inclusion of Sabbir Rahman and Nurul Hasan.
Bangladesh Test Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (Captain), Tamim Iqbal Khan (Vice-Captain),
Soumya Sarker, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Hoque, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Shakib Al Hasan,
Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Nurul Hasan Sohan.
