Four new faces in Bangladesh Test squad against England
Dhaka: Bangladesh Cricket Board on Sunday announced the 14-member Bangladesh squad for the first Test against visiting England, set to begin at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Thursday.
Four new faces—batsman Sabbir Rahman, youngster Mehedi Hasan Miraz, pacer Kamrul Islam Rabbi and wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan— were included in the Tigers squad for the upcoming first Test.
Sabbir Rahman has played 29 ODIs and 26 T20Is but is yet to make his Test debut. Though widely acclaimed for his talented strokeplay, he has also displayed a petulance that may not be suited to the Test version.
There were six changes, including the four new faces, in the Test squad that last played against South Africa in July 2015. All-rounder Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury and pacer Shafiul Islam were returned to the side.
All-rounder Nasir Hossain, batsman Liton Kumar Das, spinner Jubair Hossain, pacer Mohammad Shahid and Rubel Hossain were skipped over while pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman is currently out of the squad due to injury.
BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu said that they considered the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch and England's batting line-up when picking the specialist bowlers.
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who is also part of the selection committee, was satisfied with inclusion of Sabbir Rahman and Nurul Hasan.
Bangladesh Test Squad
Mushfiqur Rahim (C), Tamim Iqbal (VC), Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, Shafiul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Nurul Hasan Sohan
Four Newcomers: Sabbir Rahman, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Mehedi Hasan Miraz
Two Returns: Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury and Shafiul Islam
Excluded: Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Shahid, Liton Kumar Das, Rubel Hossain, Nasir Hossain and Jubair Hossain

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