Jaker, Rishad called up for Ireland T20Is; Afif, Nurul left out

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named a 14-man squad for the three-match T20I series against Ireland, starting on 27 March in Chattogram. Right-handed middle-order batter Jaker Ali and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain have earned maiden international call-ups.

On the other hand, regular members Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan have been left out of the squad. Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam has been surprisingly dropped from the squad after a solitary appearance against England earlier this month.

Jaker has been in fine form across formats in domestic cricket. He had a decent Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Comilla Victorians, the tournament champions. Jaker amassed 175 runs at an average of 25 and a strike-rate of 120.7. His ability to rotate the strike and pick gaps every now and then caught the eye of many, especially in the early part of the tournament. 

Rishad is a surprise pick as his last appearance in T20s came almost two years ago. But the leg-spinner has traveled a lot with the Bangladesh team as a net bowler and might make his debut in the series.

"Jaker received the call-up on the back of his domestic performance. He has also done well for the A team," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. 

"Since we're playing against Ireland, we want to see a bit of Rishad. The management also wanted a leg-spinner. That's why we've picked him. He has also been with the HP team. I hope the newcomers will seize the opportunity," he added.

Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain.