Munim gets first call-up to T20 squad

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday announced a 14-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, calling up batsman Munim Shahriar for the first time and recalling uncapped batsman Yasir Ali Rabbi.

Top-order batters Najmul Hossain Shanto, Saif Hossain, all-rounder Shamim Patwary, wicketkeeper-batters Nurul Hasan Sohan and Akbar Ali and leg-spinner Aminul Islam Biplob are the six players who have been dropped from the previous squad that played against Pakistan towards the end of last year.

The two matches of the T20I series will be played on March 3 and 5, both in Dhaka, following the completion of the three-match ODI series in Chattogram.

Twenty-three-year-old Shahriar made 178 runs in six matches for Fortune Barishal at a strike rate of 152 in the recently concluded Bangabandhu BPL. Yasir Ali also had an impressive outing in the BBPL for Khulna Tigers, scoring 219 runs in 11 matches with a strike rate of 139.49.

SQUAD

Mahmudullah (Captain), Liton Das, Munim Shahriar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shohidul Islam, Naeem Sheikh