The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 17-member team for the upcoming Asia Cup, raising a significant question by not considering veteran Mahmudullah Riyad.
Tanzid Hassan Tamim received his maiden call to the national squad, being seen as a future prospect for Bangladesh cricket. The 22-year-old has been selected as one of the two openers to cover for the absence of Tamim Iqbal, who stepped down from the captaincy and is struggling to recover from a back injury.
However, during a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday, the chief selector Minhazul Abedin Nannu faced the first question about Mahmudullah Riyad. The 37-year-old veteran all-rounder played his last ODI against England in March.
Mahmudullah, who was not considered for the Ireland and Afghanistan tours, was told by selectors that he was rested. But one of the most experienced members of Bangladesh cricket was serious in his practice, expecting to be considered. He started practicing before the national team’s camp resumed, but the selectors left the all-rounder disheartened.
The newly capped Tanzid, a member of the Under-19 World Cup-winning squad, has been tipped to receive a call-up, as the BCB is looking towards future prospects.
Considering his brilliant performance in the recently concluded Emerging Asia Cup, Tanzid earned his call-up for the opening slot. Naim Sheikh has also been included in the 17-man squad as the other opener to replace senior opener Tamim Iqbal.
In response to media inquiries about Riyad's exclusion, Nannu mentioned the BCB management and the head coach's planning, stating, “We had a lengthy discussion about Mahmudullah in the early stages. We talked about it with the coach and captain. We excluded him after considering our opponents. The team management has formulated a detailed plan regarding the upcoming matches and their approach for the future. Therefore, considering all factors, it was a well-considered decision by the team management.” Nannu, the former national captain, also revealed, “The head coach is also clear about how he wants to run the team. We also discussed this with Captain Shakib Al Hasan before making the decision.”
Nannu explained Tanzid's inclusion, expressing confidence in the youngster's expected contribution. “We are quite confident about Tanzid. He has been in the High-Performance program for a long time. He performed well in the Emerging Cup. We believe he has the ability to contribute positively to the team.”
Regarding Naim Sheikh, Nannu said, “Naim performed well in domestic cricket, although he didn't stand out in the Emerging Cup. However, he is consistent and has some international experience, having been given another opportunity.”
“We believe Mehidy Hassan Miraz will perform well in the Asia Cup. Despite struggling with an injury during the BPL and being out for a while, he performed quite well in the Emerging Cup,” Nannu commented about Miraz.
Speaking about Shamim Patwari, a fellow teammate of Tanzid in the Under-19 team who gained attention for his good performance in T20 Internationals, Nannu said, “Shamim has been in the pipeline since the Under-19 level. Although he didn't perform well after being selected for the T20 World Cup in 2021 and was subsequently dropped, he has made a comeback and excelled in T20Is. He is a highly capable cricketer, and we have confidence in choosing him.”
