Following his brilliant performance in the ODIs, pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been included in the 14-member squad for the first Test against South Africa, which is due to begin in Chittagong on August 21. Off-spinner Shuvagata Hom and pacer Abul Hasan however did not make the cut. Speaking on Mustafizur’s inclusion, chairman of BCB’s selection panel Faruque Ahmed said, “He [Mustafizur] has shown already what he is capable of and possibly he has been the brightest find for us in recent times.
“He has also been playing all versions of cricket this season including four-day games and we are confident that he will adjust quickly to the demands of Test cricket. His inclusion means that Abul Hasan has to miss out from the squad that we had in our last Test [against India] but Mustafizur deserves his call,” he added.
The left-arm pacer has been a regular in longer version games for his domestic sides. In fact, in the last few months he had been more preferred for four-day games as opposed to the one-dayers.
Faruque was also happy to see Mahmudullah Riyad, who had missed the last Test against India due to a finger injury, return to the side. Riyad will be replacing Shuvagata.
“Obviously his return adds depth in the batting order and some vital experience. His off-spin can also be effective and he can do the job that was expected of Shuvagata who played against India,” said Faruque.
“We have a reasonably settled squad and we prefer to give the young players a good run. Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar are players we have high hopes of while the likes of Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan have been in excellent form in Test cricket.
“The bowling has variety in pace and spin. As we are playing at home therefore we have the luxury of picking squads Test by Test, but this is the best combination we have,” he added.
Meanwhile the BCB also announced that the squad for the third ODI — due to be played in Chittagong on July 15 — will remain unchanged.
TEST SQUAD
Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal (vice-captain), Imrul Kayes, Litton Das, Mominul Hoque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Soumya Sarkar, Nasir Hossain, Taijul Islam, Jubair Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mohammad Shahid, Mustafizur Rahman.
-With New Age input
