Bangladesh name 15-man squad for T20 World Cup 2021; Mahmudullah Riyad to lead

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), on Thursday, September 9, named the Bangladesh 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE. The board made the announcement following the Tigers’ maiden T20I series triumph against New Zealand after their six-wicket victory on Wednesday, September 8 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

Mahmudullah Riyad is set to lead the Tigers in the mega event, which is set to get underway on October 17. Mahmudullah happens to be the most successful T20I skipper for Bangladesh, having won 13 out of 26 matches. During the current series against the Black Caps, the Mymensingh-born surpassed the legendary Mashrafe Mortaza, who had 10 wins from 28 T20Is from 2014-17.

Nurul Hasan likely to keep wickets after Mushfiqur Rahim shows unwillingness

Earlier, Tamim Iqbal backed out from the T20 World Cup, having not played in the format since March 2020. Mohammad Naim Shaikh, Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar are the options for the opening positions. Mushfiqur Rahim has expressed his desire of not keeping wickets and hence, Nurul Hasan Sohan is most likely to be seen with the keeping gloves in the multi-nation tournament.

Shamim Hossain Patwary, who has come up the ranks since Bangladesh U19s win in the 2020 World Cup, has also been included. The middle-order comprises of Afif Hossain Dhrubo and Mahedi Hasan, who both have impressed of late. Mahedi has also been a handy prospect with the ball in hand. Nasum Ahmed has also been rewarded for his brilliant spells against the Aussies and Kiwis.

Shakib Al Hasan was having a rough patch with the bat in 2021, but he found his mojo on the Zimbabwe tour. He also became the Player of the Series against Australia. Left-armer Mustafizur Rahman has been a tough customer to deal with, especially on spin-friendly conditions.

Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin are the other pacers in the squad. Rubel Hossain, the Tigers’ hero in the 2015 World Cup Down Under, was included in the reserves along with leg-spinner Aminul Islam Biplob. Mosaddek Hossain couldn’t find a place in the squad.

Bangladesh Squad

Mahmudullah Riyad (Captain), Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shamim Hossain

Reserves: Rubel Hossain, Aminul Islam Biplob