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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup on Sunday, set to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. For the 20-team tournament, the Bangla Tigers are placed in Group C alongside England, the West Indies, Nepal and Italy. Litton Das will be leading the side as Bangladesh aim to win their maiden senior men’s ICC title, while Mohammed Saif Hassan will be serving as his deputy.
The squad is a perfect blend of youth and experience, and the likes of Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are expected to lead the pace attack, with Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain being the frontline spinners.
The batting will rest heavily on the shoulders of the skipper, and the likes of Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon will have to come to the party if Bangladesh are to put any sort of challenge.
Bangladesh will open their campaign on February 7 against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while their next two matches against Italy and England are scheduled to be played at the same venue.
Bangladesh will play their final group stage match against Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Doubts over India travel
Bangladesh has announced its squad for the tournament, but doubts remain about the team’s travel to India for the event. Following the release of Mustafizur Rahman by the three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders due to recent developments, the BCB has reportedly sprung into action, planning to write to the ICC to request that their matches be shifted to Sri Lanka.
If Bangladesh’s four matches are shifted from India to Sri Lanka, it would create a significant logistical nightmare for the organisers. Bangladesh government adviser Asif Nazrul confirmed on Saturday via Facebook that he had indeed instructed the BCB to approach the Jay Shah-led ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.
“As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC,” Nazrul wrote in Bengali on his Facebook page.
“The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup,” he added.
Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup: Litton Kumer Das (captain), Mohammed Saif Hassan (vice captain), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Qazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Md Shaifuddin, and Shoriful Islam.
