Bangladesh on Sunday named their squad for the T20 World Cup beginning in February, leaving out middle-order batters Jaker Ali Anik and Mahidul Islam, and selecting five fast bowlers, report agencies.
Wicketkeeper and batter Litton Das will also lead Bangladesh in the tournament in India and Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, despite showing good form in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), has been left out.
In total, six players from the 2024 World Cup campaign have been omitted.
Veterans Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad are absent, alongside Soumya Sarkar and Tanvir Islam. Nine players have retained their spots from the previous edition, including pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was recently the center of a diplomatic row after being excluded from the IPL. The squad has a balance of seven batters, three spinners, and five pacers.
Top-order options Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon made the squad, while Towhid Hridoy is the only specialist middle-order batter.
Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan have been picked as finishers, while a varied bowling attack will be led by left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.
The spin department includes off-spinner Mahedi Hasan, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, while seam support will come from Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Shaifuddin.
But the announcement also came as Dhaka requested that its four group matches in India be moved to Sri Lanka, after anger because India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League.
The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on February 07. Bangladesh is scheduled to face the West Indies in their opening match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
They are then due to face Italy on February 09, and England on February 14, both also in Kolkata, followed by Nepal on February 17 in Mumbai.
Drawn in Group C, Bangladesh will also compete against defending champions England, Italy, and Nepal.
While the schedule currently lists three group matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai, the BCB has recently discussed a venue change to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.
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