Bangladesh name T20 squad without Litton; Mosaddek, Yasir return

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday didn’t include regular captain Litton Das in their 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe after granting the wicketkeeper-batter a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled from July 17 to August 8.

In Litton's absence, vice-captain Tawhid Hridoy will lead the side in the series, which also marks the return of Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury and Mohammad Saifuddin.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

Mosaddek, who returned to the national setup during the recent home ODI series against Australia after a lengthy absence, is set to make his T20I comeback for the first time since featuring in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Yasir, meanwhile, last played a T20I for Bangladesh at the 2023 Asian Games, while Saifuddin's most recent appearance came against New Zealand in May this year.

Apart from Litton, Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Soumya Sarkar, all of whom were part of Bangladesh's previous T20I squad against Australia, were also left out.

However, BCB cricket operations chairman Shahriar Nafees confirmed to The Daily Star that Litton, Taskin, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan have all been granted NOCs for the upcoming LPL.

According to him, Shakib has been granted an NOC for the entire tournament, while the other four have been cleared until August 2.

Shakib and Taskin will represent Jaffna Kings, Mehidy and Litton will play for Galle Marvels, while Hasan will feature for Colombo Strikers.

Bangladesh will begin the T20I series on July 15, with the remaining two matches scheduled for July 17 and 19. All three matches will be played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and will begin at 4:30 pm (Bangladesh time).

Before the T20I series, Bangladesh will also play a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe on July 6, 9 and 11 at Harare Sports Club in Harare.

Bangladesh have already lost their one-off Test against Zimbabwe by an innings and 85 runs inside three days in Harare on Tuesday.

Bangladesh squad: Tawhid Hridoy (captain), Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Mohammed Saif Hassan, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Mohammad Saifuddin and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.