Jaker replaces Aliss in Bangladesh squad for Sri Lanka T20Is
Jaker and Aliss were teammates at Comilla Victorians who finished second in the just-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Off-break bowler Aliss Al Islam has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on 4 March with a finger injury. Middle-order batter Jaker Ali has replaced him in the squad, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Jaker and Aliss were teammates at Comilla Victorians who finished second in the just-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Jaker emerged as a six-hitter in the slog overs for Comilla, scoring 199 runs at 99.5 and striking at 141.
"In addition to Aliss, we have three other frontline spinners in Rishad (Hossan), Taijul (Islam), and Sheikh Mahedi (Hasan) in the T20I squad. We believe that instead of adding another spinner to replace Aliss, the team's balance would be better served by including someone like Jaker Ali, who can bolster the middle or lower-middle order and serve as a finisher," chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said.
BANGLADESH T20I SQUAD
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Mahmudullah, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Jaker Ali.