Selectors on Saturday have rewarded leg-spinner Jubair Hossain with a place in the 13-man squad for the first two one-day internationals of five-match series against Zimbabwe.
The 19-year old Jubair has been impressive in the three-match Test series by taking nine wickets so far including 5-96 in the first innings of the ongoing third Test in Chittagong.
‘We believe he can add some variety in our ODI squad as well,’ chief selector Faruk Ahmed told New Age.
‘We are missing off-spinner Sohag Gazi through suspension and Abdur Razzak, who is a regular member of the ODI side, also has been suffering from a hamstring problem.
‘So we needed someone like Jubair to add strength to our spin attack.’
Jubair will join all-rounder Sabbir Rahman, who played five Twenty20 Internationals but is yet to make his ODI debut.
Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, who played last of his five ODIs in the Asia Cup in March, was recalled to bolster the spin attack.
Batsmen Nasir Hossain and Shamsur Rahman were ignored for their poor form while paceman Taskin Ahmed will miss out because of a rib injury.
Faruk said they wanted to keep the squad short since the domestic league is going on.
‘We have an eye on players doing well in the Dhaka Premier League. Shamsur got two fifties in two matches, so obviously he is in our consideration.’
The first two ODIs will be held in Chittagong on November 21 and 23.
The third, fourth and the fifth ODI are scheduled to be played in Dhaka on November 26, 28 and December 1 respectively.
The series will introduce a split captaincy for Bangladesh for the first time with Mashrafee bin Murtaza replacing Mushfiqur Rahim as ODI captain.
-With New Age input
