The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has unveiled a 16-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to begin on August 21 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
This series forms part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, with both teams keen to enhance their standings in the points table.
Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the Bangladeshi side, which includes a strong contingent of five pacers. Notably absent from the squad is the experienced Taskin Ahmed, who has not featured in a red-ball match since June 2023. Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Chairman of the National Selection Panel, highlighted that Taskin Ahmed is expected to participate in the second Test only.
"We have selected five pacers with the intention of having Taskin Ahmed in the A Team for the second four-day match against Pakistan A to get him back into the rhythm for longer-format games," Hossain explained.
Historically, Pakistan has dominated their Test encounters with Bangladesh, having won all 13 matches played in six series, with only one match ending in a draw.
The complete squad is as follows:
Bangladesh Test Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed
Pakistan Test Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi
The first Test of the series will commence on August 21 and conclude on August 25 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
