Hridoy Earns Test Call-Up and T20I Vice-Captaincy

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially announced the national squads for the upcoming Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Australia and the solitary Test match against Zimbabwe scheduled for June. The announcement was made by Chief Selector Habibul Bashar during a rain delay at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The selection features significant tactical changes, highlighted by the inclusion of Towhid Hridoy in the Test squad and his appointment as the vice-captain of the T20I team. Uncapped Rangpur paceman Robiul Hoque has also received his maiden Test call-up.

Hridoy’s Test Inclusion and Tactical Rationale

Although Towhid Hridoy is widely regarded as a white-ball specialist, this is not his first call-up to the longest format of the game. In 2024, he was drafted into the Test squad against Sri Lanka following an injury to veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, though he is yet to make his debut. Hridoy boasts a commendable first-class record, having accumulated 983 runs in 16 matches and 23 innings at an average of 44.68, including three centuries.

Explaining the decision to include him in the red-ball squad, Chief Selector Habibul Bashar highlighted Hridoy’s impactful style of play:

“He plays white-ball cricket regularly. Regarding the kind of [aggressive] cricket we want to play in Test matches… you can see we have been playing a different brand of cricket recently. I think he can be an alternative here. His record in first-class cricket is not bad either. When he bats, he can play very impactful innings in that position.”

Maiden Call-Up for Robiul Hoque and Squad Rotations

Paceman Robiul Hoque has been rewarded for his consistent performances in domestic first-class cricket. The Rangpur bowler registered a five-wicket haul in his most recent first-class appearance in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL). During the previous National Cricket League (NCL) season, Robiul played a pivotal role in guiding Rangpur Division to the championship title, claiming 22 wickets across nine innings at an average of 19.00. Cumulatively, he has taken 107 wickets in 32 first-class appearances.

While he is yet to score a first-class century, Robiul has registered two half-centuries. Bashar confirmed that he is being integrated into the squad primarily as a pace-boulding all-rounder:

“We might look at a few individuals ahead if opportunities arise. Robiul Hoque has come into the side as a bowling all-rounder.”

To manage player workloads, the selectors have rested three frontline fast bowlers—Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful Islam—alongside all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz for the solitary Test against Zimbabwe. Miraz opted for a rest following direct consultations with the selection panel. Concurrently, seamers Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed return to the Test setup. In the batting department, opening batsman Shadman Islam returns after recovering from an injury sustained during the final Test against Pakistan, resulting in the omission of Zakir Hasan.

T20I Leadership Changes and Squad Updates

For the T20I series against Australia, Towhid Hridoy has been appointed vice-captain, replacing Saif Hassan. Saif voluntarily requested to step down from the leadership role to focus entirely on his batting.

Fast bowler Nahid Rana has been included in the T20I squad. The Chief Selector clarified that since Rana is being rested for the Zimbabwe Test, he has been selected for the T20I format instead, despite having only one prior T20I appearance to his name. Meanwhile, Ripon Mondol and Tanzim Hasan miss out due to injuries sustained during the previous series against New Zealand. Pace-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin has been dropped from the T20I squad, whilst Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, and Taskin Ahmed make their return to the shortest format.

Official Squad Listings and Structural Changes

The complete player compositions and personnel changes for both the T20I and Test squads are detailed in the tables below:

1. Twenty20 International Squad vs Australia

2. Solitary Test Match Squad vs Zimbabwe