
DHAKA: Bangladesh have included three uncapped youngsters in their squad for three One-day Internationals against New Zealand.
The exodus of players to the unofficial ICL has prompted the selectors to call up three players from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy — Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, and Mahbubul Alam.
Kayes, a 21-year-old left-hand opener, scored 299 runs at 37.37 during the Academy’s recent tour of Sri Lanka. Islam, a middle-order batsman and part-time offspinner, captained the team, which won the one-dayers 2-1.
Alam, a medium-pacer, was the leading wicket-taker on the tour, with 16 wickets in six games at 21.12 apiece. Mohammad Ashrafal leads the 14-man squad, which includes six batsman, two allrounders, a wicketkeeper in Mushfiqur Rahim, and five bowlers.
Raqibul Hasan, who fractured his right thumb in Australia last month, has not been selected. Left-arm medium-pacer Syed Rasel, who has been plagued by injuries in the past year, has been included.
The series starts on October 9 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Junaid Siddique, Imrul Kayes, Mehrab Hossain jnr and Rasel have been named in the BCB XI squad to face the New Zealanders in a warm-up game on Tuesday.
Bangladesh One-day International squad: Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, Mahbubul Alam.