Birthday boy Naim included in Asia Cup squad

On his 23rd birthday, Mohammad Naim was recalled to the Bangladesh national side as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday included the opener in the Tigers' squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, to begin on August 27 in the UAE. 

Naim, who featured in 34 T20Is for Bangladesh, was part of the Bangladesh 'A' side in their ongoing tour of the Caribbean. The opener will join the Bangladesh side in Dubai on Tuesday. The Bangladesh side will also leave for the UAE tomorrow. 

Naim was dropped from the T20I side after the home series against Afghanistan in March this year owing to dismal performances. Naim, however, impressed for Bangladesh 'A' in their tour of the Caribbean, scoring a 116-ball 103 in the second unofficial ODI against West Indies 'A'.  

Meanwhile, pacer Hasan Mahmud and wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan Sohan, both of whom were included in the initial 17-member squad, have now been left out due to injuries. 

"Mahmud suffered a ligament damage to his right ankle during training on August 20 and is sidelined for at least three weeks. Sohan underwent a surgery on his left index finger in Singapore two weeks ago and needs more time to recover," a BCB press release read. 

Sohan had picked up the injury during Bangladesh's last tour of Zimbabwe earlier this month. He was still kept in the squad and his availability was always subject to him recovering from injury.