Mustafizur, Mehedi in first ODI squad

The Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced a 15-member squad for the warm-up and the first ODI of the New Zealand series.

Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Tanveer Haider and Shubhashis Roy are the players who have got in the side, while Nasir Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain and Taijul Islam have been dropped from the ODI squad which had been named for the England series. Tanveer, Shubashis and Mehedi are the uncapped members.

The good news for Bangladesh is that Mustafizur has returned to the squad. The left-armer had undergone a shoulder surgery in August this year and has not played any sort of professional cricket ever since.

It's still not certain if Mustafizur will surely feature in the first ODI against New Zealand. According to chief selector Minhajul Abedin, Mustafizur's performance in the practice match against New Zealand XI tomorrow will provide a better idea regarding his immediate future.

“We are playing Mustafizur in the practice match. Let's see how he does there. If he does well, he will play the first match. If he doesn't, he won't. He still has a bit of a pain in his arm. Let's see how it goes. It's still difficult to say if he will be fit enough for the first ODI,” said Minhajul.   

Mehedi, who enthralled Bangladesh's fans during the England Test series with his off-spinners has been given a chance in the one-dayers. Mehedi's turners ran through England's strong batting line-up and were one of the main reasons why Bangladesh did so well in the Tests.

Mehedi's inclusion, however, comes as a surprise since coach Chandika Hathurusingha, during an interview with The Daily Star following the England series, had said that if he had an option he would not play Mehedi in the ODIs since it could spoil the rhythm of his bowling.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin described Mehedi to be a very useful all-round player in limited-overs cricket. “His participation will obviously depend on the wicket for the first ODI. If there is grass, he won't play. If there isn't, he will. We believe that he has the ability to play in all formats for Bangladesh in the future,” said Minhajul.

Tanveer is a batsman who bowls leg-spinners and the team management wants to utilise that aspect, while Shubhashis and Rubel are the best available pacers following the injuries to Mohammad Shahid and Shafiul.

Bangladesh will play their only practice match against a New Zealand XI side at the Cobham Oval (New) in Whangarei tomorrow. The first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand will take place at Christchurch on December 26.  

Squad

Masrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarker, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mosaddek Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Shubhashis Roy, Tanveer Haider