A team source confirmed to Cricfrenzy that Naim is flying to the UAE on Friday night, after days of uncertainty due to visa complications.
Earlier, Soumya Sarkar missed the T20I series entirely because of similar visa delays, while Naim’s documents were also held up forcing him to miss the first ODI.
Now that the issue has been resolved, all eyes will be on whether the left-hander makes it into the playing XI for the second ODI on Saturday, especially considering the fatigue of late travel.
In Naim’s absence, Saif Hasan opened the innings alongside Tanzid Hasan in the first match, making his ODI debut. However, Saif couldn’t make a big impact, scoring just 26 runs. With Naim’s return, Saif is the most likely to make way.
Before the ODI leg, Bangladesh dominated the T20I series, sweeping Afghanistan 3–0. Most of the players from that victorious T20I squad are also part of the ODI team, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Tanvir Islam, and Najmul Hossain Shanto joining the side in the UAE.
