Bangladesh have recalled Najmul Hossain Shanto and Hasan Mahmud into the T20I side for the Asian Games set to be played in September. Litton Das too returns as the T20I captain after missing the Zimbabwe and Australia series due to a hamstring injury.
Nurul Hasan and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain have been dropped, while Nahid Rana is recovering from a side strain.
Shanto's last match in the format was against UAE in May last year. He had gone 19 innings without scoring a half-century and also lost the captaincy to Litton. Mahmud meanwhile last played in the Pakistan tour last year, where he took three wickets in three games and conceded at an economy of 11.30.
Shanto recently led Bangladesh to a historic first Test win in Australia, where he scored a half-century in Darwin. Mahmud was Player of the Match in the same game. Shanto made 355 runs in the BPL last year, including a fifty and a century. Mahmud took 10 wickets at 24.67 in the tournament.
Bangladesh's opening match in the tournament will be the quarter-final match against the Group B winner on September 28. All matches in the Asian Games' cricket competition will be held at the Korogi Sports Park. Bangladesh won bronze in the previous Asian Games in 2023.
Bangladesh squad
: Litton Das (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud
