Emon, Hasan inject fresh blood in T20 side

Following a host of discussions about revamping the T20I side following the Tigers' poor performances in the shortest format of the game, national selectors opted for two fresh faces, including pacer Hasan Mahmud and uncapped opener Parvez Hossain Emon in the 14-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) higher-ups, including cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus and team director Khaled Mahmud and the three selectors, sat for a meeting at a city hotel yesterday after which they announced wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan Sohan as captain for T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The Tigers' performance in the shortest format under regular T20I skipper Mahmudullah has remained disappointing, with the latest series against the West Indies ending in a 3-0 whitewash, prompting selectors to look towards the future and form a young T20I side.

Selectors also decided to rest senior players in the form of skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim for the T20Is.

"We can't say that we are experimenting with the team since we are not doing well in the T20 format. So the idea is to try a few new players and see how they perform. We have seen how Bangladesh play with Mahmudullah, Shakib and Mushfiqur. So the intention behind including new faces is to allow them to play freely," Mahmud told the media yesterday.

Emon burst onto the scene during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in 2020 when he became the youngest Bangladeshi to score a hundred in the T20 format, registering the feat for Fortune Barishal off just 42 balls. The left-handed opener was included in the T20I side last year for the third and final T20I against Pakistan but did not make his debut.

Young pacer Mahmud, who made his T20I debut in 2020 but has been dealing with injuries since, also made a comeback to the T20I and ODI side. According to chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu, the youngster has been in good touch recently and selectors were willing to observe him keeping the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup in mind.

"We know we are not being able to perform in the T20 format. But, with an eye on the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, we are trying to see a few new players in the Zimbabwe series. So we decided to rest some senior players," Minhajul said.

"Emon is a young player and has been nursed in the High Performance side. So far, we have got positive feedback about him. He even scored a century just a couple of days back and I think he is in very good shape."

Unlike Shakib Al Hasan, who had already asked for a break from the Zimbabwe tour, other seniors like Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur will feature in the three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Anamul Haque was also retained for both the T20I and ODI sides for the upcoming tour. There was also speculation about Najmul Hossain's place given his poor form in the West Indies, but the left-hander also made it to the limited-overs teams in Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh are schedule to travel Zimbabwe on July 26. They will begin their African safari with the first of the three T20Is on July 30 in Harare.