Mashrafe, Tamim headline BCB XI

A 13-member BCB XI squad featuring ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and opener Tamim Iqbal was announced yesterday for the practice match against West Indies, scheduled for December 6 at BKSP, ahead of the ODI series which begins on December 9 in Mirpur.

Mashrafe, who will contest in the upcoming national elections, has been out of cricketing action for about a month. However, the fact that he was spotted at the gym and his inclusion in the BCB XI squad indicates only one thing -- Mashrafe still puts cricket ahead of everything else. Tamim was sidelined since the Asia Cup due to injury but he will also make a comeback to competitive cricket with this practice match.

Tamim Iqbal, who is expected to return for the ODI leg of the series, looked on as Bangladesh heaped pressure West Indies on the second day of the second Test on December 1. Photo: Star File

"Mashrafe has been out of action for about one month while Tamim has been injured for a long time. This practice match will be very helpful for them before the ODI series." said chief selector Minhajul Abedin.

Squad: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Md Mithun, Towhid Ridoy, Ariful Haque, Akbar Ali, Rubel Hossain, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Shahin Alam, Mehidy Hasan Rana, Nazmul Islam Apu.