BCB chief selector Habibul Bashar admitted it was “challenging” to finalise Bangladesh’s 15-member squad for the Australia tour as the team’s injury list continued to grow in the weeks leading up to the series.
Express pacer Nahid Rana was ruled out of the tour after suffering a side strain, while fellow fast bowler Shoriful Islam will miss the first Test as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das is also set to miss the opening Test due to a calf injury.
“We actually wanted to announce the squad almost weeks ago,” Habibul said on Monday, a day after Bangladesh announced their squad for their historic return to Australia.
“We have separate squads for the three formats, T20Is, ODIs and Tests. The Test side is probably our most settled team. They have been playing well over the last few series, and we were all very excited about this series. Not only because we are returning to Australia after a long time, but also because Australia are such a strong side in their own conditions. We felt our team was in exactly the kind of shape and preparation needed to compete against them,” he said.
“Then the setbacks came, especially in the form of injuries, and it became really challenging. We had to wait until the very last moment. We kept waiting until the end, and as you all know, we had to go through a lot of different processes. We were hoping that even if some of our key players could not play both Tests, they might at least be available for one. But in sport, you do not always have everyone available. The plans you make before a tour do not always work out the way you expect,” he added.
Despite the setbacks, Habibul said the selectors had picked the best possible squad from the players available. Experienced pacer Taskin Ahmed is set to lead the pace attack, with Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and uncapped Musfik Hasan also included.
Experienced spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam complete the bowling department, while Jaker Ali returns as the backup wicketkeeper-batter in Litton’s absence, alongside Amite Hasan.
“It was not only unfortunate for us but also somewhat disappointing. But it is what it is. We have selected the best possible team available under the current circumstances, and that is the squad we will take,” he said.
