Minhajul Abedin justifies the inclusion of Taskin, Imrul and Sabbir
Bangladesh Cricket Board [BCB] has announced the squad ahead of the Nidahas Trophy – a tri-nation tournament that also includes Sri Lanka and India. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka on March 6.
Regarding the team-selection, chief selector Minhajul Abedin stated, "We have included some experienced campaigners," he said. "As it is expected pacers will play a part so we picked Imrul [Kayes] considering his international experience. As the matches will be played in Premadasa we needed someone who can bowl fast and Taskin [Ahmed] returned fulfilling the criterion," he added.
The chief selector explained the reason behind the inclusion of Sabbir Rahman who has not been in his best form for quite a while now. He also justified the cause of naming Taskin Ahmed and Imrul Kayes in the squad.
"He [Sabbir] has the most runs in T20s in the last year," Minhajul said. "He has the experience. We have considered him because we are playing against two experienced sides away from home. I am hopeful because he was also picked in the PSL.
"The captain said that since we are playing in Premadasa where the ground is large and we need someone quick, we picked Taskin Ahmed who has the ability to bowl yorkers and bouncers," he said. "Among all the fast bowlers in Bangladesh, Taskin is the fastest. The team management has a plan for him.
"Imrul has been included as the third opener because we were considering batsmen who are good against fast bowling. He opens for us in Tests. India has a lot of good fast bowlers. We have gone for an experienced player because we had a bad series against Sri Lanka.”
The 52-year-old also had his say on dropping the three newcomers – Zakir Hossain, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Saifuddin.
Minhajul Abedin said, “Zakir has been dropped, Tamim Iqbal has returned. Afif was also included in place of Shakib and as Shakib has returned, he [Afif] won’t be there. Some players played well [in home conditions] in the BPL. That’s why they had been called up.
"We are still not up to the mark in T20s. We want to prepare an 18-member pool for the 2020 World T20s, which is why we picked some of them in the home series [earlier this month] after they did well in the BPL."
“His [Saifuddin’s] performance in the last series has been in consideration. Management is not satisfied with his bowling. That's why he has not been included,” he added.
He clarified the current situation of Mosaddek Hossain and said, “He [Mosaddek] had problems with his eyes. He returned after recovering from it. We think he's still struggling. That's why he has been given some time. We have a specific plan for him.”
Regarding Bangladesh T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s recovery, Minhajul said, “There is still one week. I hope he will soon return to the game.”
“I'm hopeful. I Hope this group will do well. We've got the team ready for the fight,” he concluded when asked about his satisfaction regarding the strength of the team.
