Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Sunday that Shamim Hossain has been added to the squad for the third T20I against Ireland, report agencies.
The move came after captain Litton Das had criticised the selectors for leaving Shamim out of the squad for the series, saying that neither he nor coach Phil Simmons had been informed about it. Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said last Friday that Shamim was being dropped to give Mahidul Islam Ankon a run in the middle order.
"I think it would have been better if [Shamim] was in the team. But this is not my call, [it is] totally the selectors' call," Litton, known to be a mild-mannered man, had said before the first T20I. "I don't know why, but the selector dropped Shamim without giving us notice. I have known that a captain would know which player would be in the team, and which player would be out of the team. I don't see any reason behind Shamim getting dropped. It would have been better if he was in the team."
Ashraf countered Litton later the same day, saying that he didn't need the captain's permission to select or not select a player, though there has clearly been a change of heart now.
The relationship between the two has reportedly been frosty since Ashraf dropped Litton during the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year.
"Shamim was never out of our plan it was just that we wanted see what other options we had ahead of the T20I World Cup," Hasibul Hossain, former national pace bowler and current member of the national selection panel, told the online sports portal on Sunday.
"We have a plan in place and want to proceed accordingly," he added.
For the record, Shamim had recorded scores of 0, 0, 1 and 1 in his last four T20Is.
The match, which will decide the series winner, will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.
Bangladesh squad for 3rd T20I vs Ireland: Litton Kumar Das (Captain), Saif Hassan (Vice-Captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Md Shaif Uddin, Shamim Hossain.
