Mustafizur Rahman Included In Bangladesh Test Squad For West Indies Tour

Bangladesh will play the opening test match in Antigua from June 16-20 while the second Test will be played in St. Lucia from June 24-28 West Indies.

Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman was on Sunday picked in the Bangladesh Test squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies. The series comprises two Tests along with three ODIs and three T20Is.

There were a lot of speculations about Mustafizur's immediate Test future but his inclusion in the squad ended all the drama. The pacer, who last played red-ball cricket during the home series against West Indies in 2021, was reluctant to play Tests as he stressed on the need to pick and choose formats to prolong his international career.

Later, BCB chief Nazmul Hasan insisted that Mustafizur will have to play Test cricket if the team requires his presence. It has been learnt that the board sent him a letter recently asking him to clear his position regarding red-ball cricket and the paceman eventually agreed to play Tests.

"He (Mustafizur) informed us that he is ready to play Test cricket. Naturally his inclusion will strengthen our Test squad considering he is an experienced campaigner," BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin told Cricbuzz on Sunday.

Apart from Mustafizur, Mehidy also made a comeback in the Test squad while Mushfiqur Rahim will miss the series in order to make a Hajj pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, Anamul Haque, having been in the wilderness since 2019, makes a comeback in the ODI and T20 squads owing to his tremendous form in the Dhaka Premier League where he amassed more than 1000 runs. Nurul Hasan was also awarded a place in limited-overs squads thanks to his prolific form in the DPL.

Mohammad Saifuddin also made a comeback in the white-ball format, having last played international cricket during the T20 World Cup in which he was ruled out midway due to a back injury. Mossadek Hossain, who recently got a chance in the Test team, was also included for the ODIs and T20Is against West Indies apart from retaining his place in the Test squad.

Meanwhile, Abedin also hinted that Shakib Al Hasan might not be considered for the ODIs if he is given a leave of absence by the BCB. The ODIs against West Indies are not part of the ICC Super League.

"If Shakib applies for it, we will see that later and it is up to the BCB cricket operation to decide whether they will grant him leave or not," he said.

Bangladesh will travel to the West Indies in three phases - June 3, 5 and 6. The opening Test will be played in Antigua from June 16-20 while the second Test will be played in St. Lucia from June 24-28.The opening two T20Is will be played in Dominica on July 2 and 3 while the third will be played in Guyana on July 7. The three ODIs are also scheduled to be played in Guyana on July 10, 13 and 16.

Bangladesh squads for West Indies tour:

Test squad: Mominul Haque (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hassan, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Shohidul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Nurul Hasan Sohan.

ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Yasir Ali, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hassan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin and Anamul Haque Bijoy.

T20I squad: Mahmudullah (captain), Munim Shahriar, Liton Das, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Yasir Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Nasum Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin.