Sarmin earns surprise maiden T20 call-up with ‘shortage in player pipeline’

Opener Sarmin Sultana has received a surprise maiden call-up to the national T20 side, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match WT20I series against Sri Lanka.

Sarmin, who recently returned to the national WODI side after a six-and-a-half-year hiatus during the just-concluded series against Sri Lanka and made only 42 runs in three matches, replaces experienced campaigner Farzana Haque Pinky in the squad.

The 32-year-old Sarmin featured in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars in February and in Bangladesh Emerging team’s series against South Africa last year, although her returns were modest -- scoring 93 runs in five matches and 40 runs in three matches respectively.

“The consideration is that she is currently playing ODIs, and she also made some runs in T20s during the recent Emerging series. That’s why we tried to keep her as an opener,” women’s chief selector Sazzad Ahmed Shipon told The Daily Star on Saturday.

Sarmin also endured a quiet National Cricket League (T20) campaign, scoring 126 runs in seven innings for Rajshahi.

“There is a shortage in both T20s and one-dayers. It’s very difficult for us to adjust because the player pipeline isn’t strong enough,” Shipon added.

Farzana, who featured in Bangladesh’s last T20 campaign during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal earlier this year, has been named among the standbys.

The three-match series will begin on April 28, with the remaining matches scheduled for April 30 and May 2. All fixtures will be held at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and will start at 1:30pm.

Squad: Nigar Sultana Joty (captain), Nahida Akter (vice-captain), Dilara Akter, Sobhana Mostary, Fahima Khatun, Sharmin Akter Supta, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Rabeya Khan, Sarmin Sultana, Marufa Akter, Fariha Islam Trisna, Sultana Khatun, Shanjida Akther Maghla and Juairiya Ferdous.

Standby: Farzana Haque, Shorifa Khatun, Farjana Easmin and Tajnehar.