Bangladesh Announces Squad For T20I Series Against Pakistan; Mushfiqur Rahim Left Out

The Bangladesh cricket team has announced its squad for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. There were several notable names missing, none bigger than the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim.

The youngsters included in the squad indicate that the selectors are now looking at the future with a view on next year’s T20 World Cup. Chief Selector Minhajul Abedin said that Rahim was willing to play the series but his workload management was of paramount importance.

“We have four back-to-back Test matches against Pakistan and New Zealand. He [Rahim] is a key player. He is one of our best players. Tamim Iqbal is already injured. He is in doubt for the Test series.“

“We want our best player to give his best during the Test series, so after consulting extensively with the team management, we have decided to rest him. It is only for the Pakistan series. He will be available later,” Abedin was quoted as saying.

We are trying to start afresh after a disappointing T20 World Cup – Bangladesh selector Minhajul Abedin

Abedin further mentioned that the team is recovering from the horrendous outing in the recently concluded 2021 T20 World Cup, where they failed to win a single match in the Super 12 stage. The BPL is coming up soon and Abedin revealed that the ones that were dropped have a chance to get back into the squad through good performances.

“We have just come from a disappointing T20 World Cup. It was unexpected. We didn’t have a bad team. We won both the T20I series at home this year. Still, we are trying to start afresh. Our planning for the next T20 World Cup begins after this season’s BPL, but we want to start well in this series.“

“Those who are dropped, they have to do well in the domestic competitions. The BPL is coming up. Nobody will be forgotten. We have to keep them in the system. We have the A team program. We also have the High-Performance Unit. We will keep everyone we need, in these squads,” Abedin added.

Shakib Al Hasan sustained a hamstring injury during the final stage of the T20 World Cup and he will not be part of the squad. Mahmudullah will be leading the 16-man squad when Pakistan arrives in the country.

Bangladesh T20I squad for Pakistan series:

Mahmudullah (c), Naim Sheikh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shamim Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shohidul Islam, Akbar Ali.

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