Bangladesh have announced their 15-man squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with fast bowler Nahid Rana once again missing out as the team takes a cautious approach to his recovery.
Rana suffered a Grade 2 side strain during Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe. The injury also ruled him out of the Test series against Australia, where Bangladesh secured a memorable victory. Although he has been undergoing rehabilitation, he is yet to regain full match fitness.
Rana is expected to become available from October 10, leaving him out of contention for the Afghanistan Test, which begins on October 9.
Chief selector Habibul Bashar Sumon said Bangladesh are looking at the bigger picture, with five Tests coming up, including a home series against England early next year.
“As you know, we are prioritizing our next 5 Test matches—the Afghanistan Test, the next 4 Test matches, and the home Test series against England in January-February. So these Test matches are very important for us, and we are prioritizing them, which is why we actually want to give Nahid Rana the best possible opportunity so that he can play all the matches,” Bashar said.
Rana has established himself as one of Bangladesh’s most exciting fast-bowling prospects since making his Test debut. His raw pace has added a different dimension to the attack, but the selectors are unwilling to rush him back at the expense of his long-term fitness.
Bangladesh are instead planning his return around the home Test series against the West Indies, giving him time to build up his workload properly.
“We want to give him that opportunity so that he can play all the matches. So, we are not able to play him in this Test. We really want him in our home Test series against West Indies,” Bashar said.
He added that the selectors are considering two possible routes for Rana to regain match sharpness before the Test series.
“Hopefully, he will recover and stay healthy. In that case, we are actually discussing what the best possible way for him would be to play the West Indies Test matches. It could be whether he plays two ODIs in our upcoming ODI series (since he is available for the ODIs) to take preparation for the Tests, or whether he plays in the domestic first-class season, which is about to start, to prepare for the Test matches. Whatever will be best for Nahid Rana, we will take that decision,” Bashar said.
