Bangladesh Announce Squad for First Test Against West Indies, Litton and Taskin Return

The West Indies cricket team are currently in Bangladesh for a two-match series in the ICC World Test Championship. Looking to put their defeats against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan behind them, the hosts will aim to bounce back in Mirpur. Ahead of the first Test against the visitors, scheduled to begin on October 28, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) finalised a 15-member squad on Friday.

Regular wicketkeeper-batter Litton Kumar Das had been sidelined by an injury sustained during the recent tri-nation series. In his absence, Towhid Hridoy took on leadership responsibilities for the team. However, Litton has fully recovered and returned to the squad for the first Test, providing a major boost to Bangladesh’s batting lineup.

All-rounder Soumya Sarkar and right-arm fast bowler Syed Khaled Ahmed have been dropped from the squad that featured in the Afghanistan series. Meanwhile, experienced pacer Taskin Ahmed has been brought back into the red-ball setup. He will join Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury and Shoriful Islam in the pace attack. To strengthen the spin department, Bangladesh have included Naeem Hasan alongside experienced spinners Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

The first Test will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, starting at 9:30 am on October 28. After the Dhaka Test, both teams will travel to Sylhet on a chartered flight for the second and final Test, scheduled to take place from November 5 to 9. The Caribbean side are currently fine-tuning their preparations through a practice match against the BCB XI.

Bangladesh squad for the first Test:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mohammad Sadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Kumar Das, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vice-captain), Taijul Islam, Naeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury and Shoriful Islam.