The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to begin on August 21 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
The series is part of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC), with both teams looking to improve their position in the points table.
Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the Bangladesh side which includes a strong contingent of five pacers. The squad is notably missing the experienced Taskin Ahmed, who has not featured in a red-ball match since June 2023.
“We have picked five pacers with the intention of having Taskin Ahmed in the A team for the second four-dayer against Pakistan A to get him back into rhythm for the longer format games,” explained Hossain.
Historically, Pakistan have dominated their Tests with Bangladesh, winning all 13 matches played in the six series, with only one match ending in a draw.
The complete lineup is as follows:
Bangladesh Test Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Nahid Rana , , Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed
Pakistan Test Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (Wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi
The first Test of the series will start on August 21 and end on August 25 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
