Afif & Naim called up for first two ODIs against Zimbabwe
Bulks of changes have come into the squad as seven players from the Tigers’ last ODI squad have been dropped and five players brought back in along with two new call-ups.
Bangladesh have announced their squad for the first two ODIs against Zimbabwe as Afif Hossain and Naim Sheikh have been called up to the ODI side for the first-ever time.
Bulks of changes have come into the squad as seven players from the Tigers' last ODI squad have been dropped and five players brought back in.
Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, Farhad Reza, Anamul Haque and Rubel Hossain has been dropped from their last ODI series at Sri Lanka. In their place, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Al-Amin Hossain have returned along with the two new faces in Afif and Naim.
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Chairman of BCB National Selection Panel Minhajul Abedin was delighted to have Mashrafe back to the side and added that having Saifuddin is key to the side's balance.
"It is great to have Mortaza back as his experience and leadership is vital to our One-day cricket. Saifuddin is also key to the team's balance," Minhajul Abedin said.
He also added that Shanto's recent performance in the domestic circuit has been impressive and that led to his inclusion.
"Shanto's current form in international and domestic cricket gets him into the team while Naim and Afif are also part of our long term plan for the shorter version," Minhajul added.
Despite featuring regularly for Bangladesh in T20Is, it is the first time Afif and Naim have broke into the ODI side.
And according to BCB President Nazmul Hassan, this will be Mashrafe's last stint as Bangladesh's ODI captain. Liton also returns to the squad after he had opted out of the Sri Lanka series to tie his knot.
It is a special return for Al-Amin as it was in 2015 when the seamer had played his last ODI. Saifuddin also returns after recovering from his nagging back injury.
Taskin Ahmed has been dropped from the side despite not playing a single match in Sri Lanka and the case is same for Farhad Reza.
Bangladesh squad for the first two ODIs: Masrafe Mortaza (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Md Mithun, Liton Kumar Das, Taijul Islam, Afif Hossain, Naim Sheikh, Al-Amin Hossain, Saifuddin, Shafiul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman
