Former Captain Litton Das Returns to Bangladesh Squad for First Sri Lanka Test
Wicketkeeper-batsman Litton Das is set to rejoin the Bangladesh Test team after missing the previous series against New Zealand due to paternity leave.
During his absence, Litton’s captaincy was taken over by Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was later appointed as the captain across all three formats last month.
The upcoming ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka will be Najmul’s first assignment as the full-time captain of the Test team.
Litton Das, who was the top scorer for Bangladesh with a quick 76 against England in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, was recently dropped from the ODI squad due to a dip in form. He has played 39 Tests, scoring 2394 runs at an average of 36.27 and has served as the designated wicketkeeper in 28 of these Test matches.
Nurul Hasan, who replaced Litton as the wicketkeeper in the home Test series against New Zealand, is not included in the squad.
The 15-member squad also welcomes new pacers Nahid Rana and Mushfik Hasan. Senior pacer Ebadot Hossain has been absent since his knee injury last year, which caused him to miss the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.
“Rana is a very exciting prospect. He is probably the quickest bowler in Bangladesh at the moment and can also extract steep bounce,” said former Bangladesh player and current selection panel member, Abdur Razzak.
“Although these are early days for him, his first-class record is quite impressive. There is another young pacer Mushfik Hasan in the squad. This is the right time for these pacers to get the experience as Ebadot (Hossain) is out injured and Taskin (Ahmed) is also not playing Tests at the moment.”
Najmul Hossain Shanto showcased his batting prowess by scoring a half-century for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
The first Test is scheduled to start in Sylhet on 22 March, followed by the second match in Chattogram from 30 March.
Bangladesh Test Squad:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Kumer Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Mushfik Hasan, Nahid Rana.