Mehidy to lead Bangladesh in West Indies ODIs
Cricket
Regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto continues to miss out due to a groin strain.
KINGSTON (Web Desk) - Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue to lead Bangladesh in regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto's absence in the ODI series against West Indies. Mehidy was named captain for the ongoing two-Test series in the Caribbean, which the hosts are leading 1-0, with Shanto missing out due to groin strain. Shakib Al Hasan, who has not played for Bangladesh since the Tests in India, continues to miss out, with BCB president Faruque Ahmed saying the senior all-rounder was not "in a mental state to play for the country".
Middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy also misses out due to a groin injury which he picked up while playing football recently. Mushfiqur Rahim also misses out as he recovers from finger injury, while Mustafizur Rahman has opted out of the series due to personal reasons. Left-handed opener Zakir Hasan, meanwhile, has been dropped. Litton Das, who missed the ODIs against Afghanistan in November, returns to the side, while Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan Sakib have also been included.
Shakib, who retired from Tests and T20Is in September, missed the ODIs against Afghanistan last month too. He was part of the Abu Dhabi T10 where he played seven matches for Bangla Tigers. He had not traveled to Dhaka to play his farewell Test, against South Africa, in October because of protests against him after being named in an FIR for an alleged murder during the political unrest in the country.
BCB president Ahmed said Shakib remained in contention for selection in ODIs, adding that he needed sufficient preparation to get back into the national side.
"Right now, he [Shakib] is still in the list," Ahmed said. "We hope that the issues get solved in the way he wants. Definitely, he still possesses the capability to play for the national team. Playing for a franchise and playing for the country is not the same thing. You need preparation and also you really need to gel with the team. Since he can't do those things, I don't think he is in a mental state to play for the country. Because of that, we have left this thing up to him."
The players named for the ODIs will leave Dhaka on Monday to link with the rest of the players in St Kitts to play the three ODIs on December 8, 10 and 12.
Bangladesh ODI squad vs West Indies:
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Afif Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.
