The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan, starting August 21 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
This series is part of the World Test Championship 2023-25, with both teams eager to improve their positions in the standings.
Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the Bangladeshi team, which features a robust lineup of five pacers.
Notably, seasoned fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is missing from the initial squad. Taskin hasn’t played a Test match since June 2023, and Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Chairman of the National Selection Panel, mentioned that Taskin is expected to join the squad for the second Test.
“We’ve included five pacers with plans for Taskin Ahmed to participate in the A Team’s four-day match against Pakistan A. This will help him regain form for longer-format games,” Hossain said.
Historically, Pakistan has had a strong record against Bangladesh in Test cricket, having won all 13 encounters across six series, with only one match ending in a draw.
The complete Bangladesh Test squad is as follows: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, and Syed Khaled Ahmed.
For Pakistan, the squad includes: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper).
The first Test will begin on August 21 and end on August 25 at Pindi Cricket Stadium.
