Middle-order batter Shahadat Hossain Dipu was named as replacement for skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto in Bangladesh’s 15-member squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, a Bangladesh Cricket Board press release confirmed today.
The first Test will be played in Antigua from November 22 and the second match will take place in Jamaica from November 30.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to miss the series-deciding third ODI against Afghanistan today and also the forthcoming two-Test series against the West Indies owing to a groin strain, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) informed through a media release today.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto will not take part in the third and final ODI against Afghanistan today in Sharjah owing to a groin injury, confirmed a Bangladesh Cricket Board official.
"To be very honest I'm not happy. Probably I have to bat a bit longer because the wicket was difficult against spin," Shanto, who scored a 119-ball 76, said at the post-match presentation
The ongoing three-match series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan has so far felt like looking inside a time capsule and finding a 50-over series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from the 90s in all its glory.
Bangladesh kept on breaking Afghanistan’s momentum in phases to eventually come out on top and level the three-match ODI series with a 68-run win in the second ODI at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz claimed that the pitch used for the first ODI of the three-match against Afghanistan on Wednesday changed abruptly to cause a thumping collapse in the Tigers’ batting effort, leading to a 92-run loss at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh batters have an abundance of tricks in their basket to surprise the audience.
“Win or lose, the most important thing is whether we are playing as a team or not,” Shanto told the media in Chattogram today.
The tensions relating to the timed out dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Matthews during the 2023 ICC World Cup match against Bangladesh came back to the fore between the two sides as the Lankans celebrated their T20I series win by pointing to their wrists.
The dearth of legspinners in the country is so acute that when Rishad Hossain was picked recently by the national team for the Ireland series, there were doubtful gazes from the cricket fraternity over how long he would be continued.
Following the post-match press conference on Wednesday, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked whether a change of environment from his BPL franchise to the national team had seen him get back to runs.
Bangladesh national team had a rest day yesterday following their three-run defeat in the first T20I on Monday.
Bangladesh need 207 runs to win
On November 11, 2023, after Bangladesh’s final match in the ICC World Cup ended in a sound defeat to Australia, Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had captained in that game in place of the injured Shakib Al Hasan, boldly told the media that he was ready to lead the Tigers full-time if the opportunity arises.
The Bangladesh captain also explained why Jaker Ali Anik got the nod in Bangladesh's squad for Sri Lanka T20Is.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, the new captain of Bangladesh in all three formats, expects his first assignment as a full-time captain against Sri Lanka to be a competitive one.
The Bangladesh Premier League’s (BPL) last day’s round robin fixtures would settle the eliminator line-up as the tournament gears towards climax. But for local stars, the focus would very much turn to Bangladesh’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka in March.