Selector Hannan Sarkar explains reason behind dropping Shoriful Islam for India tour

Bangladesh's squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against India has been announced, and pace bowler Shoriful Islam has not been included. The decision was made due to his not being 100% fit. Shariful was also left out of the final Test against Pakistan due to fitness concerns. Following the Test series, Bangladesh will play a T20I series against India, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) does not want to risk Shoriful's participation, as stated by national selector Hannan Sarkar.

At a press conference in Mirpur following the squad announcement on Thursday, Hannan Sarkar explained, "Shoriful cannot be considered 100% fit at this moment. He was unfit during the second Test in Pakistan and was not included in the XI. He is currently being monitored by the physio and trainer. We cannot guarantee his fitness for Test cricket, which might require him to bowl 15-20 overs. We have a T20 series coming up, and he is an important player for us in white-ball cricket. Since he is not fully fit, we did not want to take any risks. We have several fit players available for the Tests, and we did not want to jeopardize the team's balance. If he recovers in time, we hope he will be available for the T20s."

For the tour of India, Bangladesh will travel with four pace bowlers. In place of Shariful, uncapped player Zaker Ali Anik has been added to the squad. Hannan Sarkar explained the decision by considering the conditions and the opponent. "In Pakistan, we traveled with five pace bowlers, but here we have reduced it to four and added a middle-order batsman. We felt the need to increase the options in the middle order in our team combination."

Zaker Ali Anik has no Test experience but has played 17 T20Is for Bangladesh. When asked why Zaker was chosen over regular Test player Dipu Monim, Hannan Sarkar responded, "Dipu was in our plans towards the end. You must consider that whenever Dipu played, our key players like Shakib and Mushfiqur were often unavailable. Dipu performed reasonably well under those circumstances. However, considering recent performances, we opted for Zaker. Dipu has played in Australia and Pakistan but is not in great form at the moment. International form is crucial. Dipu remains a player for the future, and he is closely monitored."

Regarding Zaker, Hannan Sarkar added, "Zaker's previous records in longer formats showed he could be effective. Although he was not selected earlier, his impressive innings of 172 in Pakistan has put him in the spotlight. We have decided to give him a chance considering all factors."