In a surprise move by the selectors, talismanic all-rounder Sakib al Hasan has been added to the BCB XI squad, scheduled to face New Zealand in a three-day match at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong from October 4-6. Sakib was not on the BCB XI squad list when it was first announced on Friday, but selector Habibul Bashar on Wednesday said that the move was made to give the country’s
best player more match practice ahead of the Test series.
Sakib had injured his thumb towards the end of the Caribbean Premier League in August and has played just one match in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League since his return to the field.
With the national squad travelling to Chittagong today, the three-day match represents his only opportunity to play before the first Test begins on October 9.
The all-rounder does not usually play in warm-up fixtures, with his place in the side assured and the management preferring to wait for meaningful matches before showing the opposition their trump card, but his lack of match practice may have forced the BCB to include him in the three-day side.
BCB XI
Mahmudullah (captain), Sakib Al Hasan, Anamul Haque, Ziaur Rahman, Naeem Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Marshall Ayub, Sajedul Islam, Souyma Sarker, Muktar Ali, Nur Hossain, Farhad Reza.
-With New Age input
