Shanto to lead in NZ Tests, Liton granted a month's leave

Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh team in the two-match Test series at home against New Zealand later this month as a number of leading players, including Liton Das will be missing, informed BCB's cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus.

Regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out due to an injury he suffered during the World Cup while Bangladesh will also miss pacer Taskin Ahmed due to a recurring injury on his shoulder.  

Liton Das, meanwhile, asked for a month's leave for being with his wife and new-born baby.

The first Test begins on November 28 in Sylhet while the second starts in Dhaka on December 6. 

"Najmul Hossain Shanto will be the captain for the two-match Test series against New Zealand," Yunus told reporters in Mirpur on Saturday. 

"Liton asked for a months' leave. He will not play the two Tests so that he can spend time exclusively with his family. We wanted him to play one Test, but he kept insisting for a month's leave. So we agreed to grant him the leave.

"If someone doesn't want to play, you can't force him to play the national team. The professionalism must come from his heart," Yunus added. 

The BCB official also said that they would ascertain Shakib's injury and will speak to him later to decide whether the all-rounder will lead the team in the white-ball away series against the Kiwis in December,