The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the Under-19 squad for next month’s tour of the West Indies on Sunday, with Mehedy Hasan retaining the captaincy despite the team’s poor tour of England in August. The tri-nation series in England, which was won by Pakistan U-19, saw Bangladesh win just one match in Mehedy’s first competition as the U-19 captain, but selectors decided not to remove him from the job based on one tour.
The squad also retains wicketkeeper Jasim Uddin as the vice-captain for the tour, which is considered critical to the team’s development ahead of next year’s Under-19 World Cup in Dubai.
Mosaddek Hossain, whose 110 not out in the win against England U-19 was Bangladesh’s only century of the series, also keeps his place in the squad.
The 15-man squad does include five new faces: all-rounders Munim Shahriar and Saeed Sarkar, batsman Yasir Ali Chowdhury, paceman Nahid Hasan and spinner Nihad Uz Zaman.
Shahriar Jummon, who opened the batting in every match of the England tour, loses his spot in the squad this time around. Also giving way are pacer Mehede Hasan and wicketkeeper Abu Sayem Chowdhury, who both drop to the standby list, as well as Mustafizul Rahman and Mohammed Saifuddin, who have been left out altogether.
The U-19s leave for Guyana on Tuesday with coach Richard McInnes and his staff, and will play a practice match against Guyana U-19 on October 5 before kicking off the seven-match series against West Indies U-19 on October 7 in Georgetown.
Squad
Mehedy Hasan (c), Jasim Uddim (vc), Sadman Islam, Najmul Hossain, Munim Shahriar, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Mosaddek Hossain, Saeed Sarkar, Joyraj Sheikh, Abu Haider, Rifat Pradhan, Nahid Hasan, Nihad Uz Zaman, Jubair Hossain, Rahatul Ferdous.
Standby: Sifat Islam, Abu Sayem Chowdhury, Mohammed Sumon, Mehede Hasan, Ashikul Islam, Sujat Hasan.
-With New Age input
