15-year-old uncapped right-arm pacer Habiba Islam Pinky made her room in the squad when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 15-member team on Tuesday for the upcoming T20 home series against India.
Pinky is the only uncapped member, replaced offspin-bowling allrounder Sumaiya Akter when wicketkeeper-batter Rubya Haider taken the place of Farzana Akter to boost up the Tigress bowling attack against India.
All five-match T20 series against India scheduled to take place in Sylhet from April 28 to May 9 while Bangladesh women team was white washed by their Australian counterpart early of last month in both ODI and T20 series.
Bangladesh lost the three-match ODI series by 3-0 and suffered defat by same margin in the T20I series while the Tigress were bowled out for under 100 runs in all three ODIs and were a bit more competitive in the T20Is but there was huge difference of strength between them and Australia.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh women's chief selector Sajjad Ahmed said, “We haven’t changed the squad a much. Since we have been playing on sporting wickets in Sylhet, we have taken an extra pace bowler. We also have Rubya Haider, our opening batter and wicketkeeper, returning from injury.”
"Rubya returned after a long interval getting rid of injury. She is an automatic choice for us now. We had two fast bowlers in the T20I series against Australia. We had Marufa Akter and Fariha Trisna. Habiba will be our back-up pacer.”
Sajjad explaining the series as important one said, “This is a very important series for us. Our batters are struggling to get runs at home. If they can do better and bowlers can provide assistance with their usual performances, then we can come back as a unit. Australia was an extraordinary team. We couldn't deal with them. We have to forget about those results, and hope to compete against India.”
Replying to another query to reporters, the chief selector said, “I think our World Cup preparations will start from this series. Our team formation, planning and strategy, all are for the World Cup. But right now we can't say that this is our World Cup squad. We have the Asia Cup coming up.
We are also planning to play another home series before the World Cup and there would be some changes."
Meanwhile, India also included two new face in their squad for Bangladesh tour, when spinner Asha Sobhana and hard-hitting batter. Bother batter and the bowlers impressed in the recently held Women’s Premier League and earned their maiden call-ups to the Indian team for the five T20s.
Squad- Nigar Sultana Joty (Captain), Nahida Akter (Vice Captain), Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Fariha Islam Trisna, Shorifa Khatun, Dilara Akter, Rubya Haider Jhelik, Habiba Islam Pinky
Stand By: Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajana Sajeevan, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu.