Bangladesh Announce Squad For ODI Series vs Afghanistan; 4 Players Get Maiden Call-Up

Bangladesh have included pace-bowling sensation Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan Joy for the first time in the One-day International squad as they prepare to take on Afghanistan in the opening match of the series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium here on February 23.

Bangladesh will play three ODIs, which will be followed by two T20Is, and the five-match series will conclude on March 5.

Ebadot Hossain was the standout performer in Bangladesh's first Test against New Zealand last month, which the tourists won by eight wickets. Hossain took six second-innings wickets to earn Bangladesh a historic away Test victory in January. New Zealand, though, came back strongly in the second Test to level the two-match series.

While Ebadot, Yasir and Mahmudul have played Tests for Bangladesh before, Nasum has played only T20Is.

"Ebadot is a Test bowler but he has been impressive with the white ball recently," said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief selector Minhajul Abedin. "He has worked hard on his control, which is why we have considered him. Joy played a tremendous innings in the Test match (against New Zealand), so we are expecting something from him in the ODIs.

"We are confident that he can fit into the middle order. He is dependable. He can play for a long time if he plays with confidence. Nasum has shown consistency in T20Is and domestic cricket. Shanto is a regular Test player which gives us the confidence that he will do well," Abedin was quoted as saying by ICC.

Missing from the list are Mohammad Naim, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin and Rubel Hossain; all of whom were a part of Bangladesh's 17-member squad that played the ODI series against Zimbabwe in July 2021.

Abedin also added that the selectors decided to rest Naim for the series owing to his poor recent form and he expected him to bounce back from it. "When a player doesn't have form for a considerable amount of time, it puts him into depression. I felt that we should give him time to overcome this, and come back fresh. He remains in our sights. He will be in our pool. I am sure he will join the team shortly."

The three-match series is part of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League and will be played in Chattogram from 23 to 28 February. Bangladesh are currently second on the table, while Afghanistan are in the sixth position.

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Squad: Tamim Iqbal (C), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmud Ullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Mahmudul Hasan Joy.