Shakib Al Hasan returns as Bangladesh announce squad for 2nd Test against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh National Cricket Team on Tuesday (26th March) announced the squad for the second Test against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. Veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has returned to the team for the series decider between the teams that will be played from 30th March at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Shakib Al Hasan will be making a return to Test cricket after a long gap of one year. The all-rounder has been out of action in the longest format of the game since playing the game against Ireland in April 2023 in the Mirpur. He will be replacing Towhid Hridoy, who was part of the squad for the first Test, in the team for the second game.

The second Test against Sri Lanka will also mark Shakib Al Hasan’s return to international cricket are nearly 5 months. He last played for Bangladesh in the ICC World Cup 2023 and after that has been out of action and missed a lot of cricket, both at the domestic as well as at the internet stage.

Shakib Al Hasan got injured in the World Cup and was out of the action for a while. After that, he took a break to contest elections in Bangladesh. He also gave up the captaincy of the team and the leadership was given to the Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has been doing a great job as a leader of them.

Shakib Al Hasan making a comeback will be a huge boost for Bangladesh as they suffered a thrashing 328-run loss in the first Test in Sylhet. The all-rounder’s presence in the team will provide a balance in the XI and it’s fair to say that he will walk directly into the team for the last game of the series.

Apart from him, Mushfik Hasan has been ruled out of the second Test against Bangladesh. The fast bowler suffered an ankle injury during the first game. The pacer will now be undergoing rehab and will be out of the cricketing action for some time now.

In his place, Hasan Mahmud has been called into the team for the second Test against Sri Lanka. The pacer has been in terrific form in the white-ball cricket and would be hoping to do the same in the Test. If he plays the game then it will be his debut game. So far he has played 16 FC games and has taken 49 wickets.

Bangladesh looked clueless in the first Test against Sri Lanka. The Island nation outshined the home side with both bat and all. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis slammed twin centuries and put the opposition under immense pressure. The hosts displayed a torrid performance with the bat, which was the main reason behind the loss.

Bangladesh now would be hoping to make a strong comeback in the game. They would be keen to avoid the whitewash and level the series. The ongoing two-match Test series between the teams is also part of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Bangladesh National Cricket Team squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka National Cricket Team announced; Shakib Al Hasan returns

Here’s the Bangladesh National Cricket Team squad for the second Test against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Kumer Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Shakib Al Hasan, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud