Bangladesh Squad 2024: Bangladesh have named an injured Taskin Ahmed in their T20 World Cup 2024 squad and expect him to get fit for the tournament in time after receiving treatment. Taskin, who is also the vice-captain of the Bangladesh squad suffered a side strain before the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe and missed the match.
Taskin was also the Player of the Series for taking eight wickets in four games. Meanwhile, Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf said that the medical team is confident of Taskin's recovery before the start of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
Bangladesh squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 will be led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, with Shakib Al Hasan also included and the veteran allrounder earning the distinction of playing in all the T20 World Cups since its inception in 2007. Despite his poor form in white-ball cricket, Litton Das has found a place in the squad.
Bangladesh opted for young right-arm pacer Tanzim Hasan over Mohammad Saifuddin. The decision was influenced by their performances in recent series, where Saifuddin's deficiency in delivering yorkers during crucial overs against Zimbabwe was noticed. Although Saifuddin had impressive outings in domestic leagues, Tanzim's consistent performance and hunger for success earned him the nod.
"We kept Saifuddin in the squad that we submitted to the ICC on April 30," Ashraf said. "We wanted to observe and analyse Saifuddin's performance in the Zimbabwe series. But when we considered what the team needs at the moment, Tanzim was ahead of Saifuddin. It was a close call between the two.
"We saw Tanzim against Sri Lanka. His dedication and hunger kept him ahead. He is also a good fielder. We didn't see enough yorkers in the death overs from Saifuddin. He did it in domestic cricket but didn't do it against Zimbabwe. Some of his short-pitched balls went over the batters' head. He was the only player who got changed from the squad we submitted to the ICC on April 30."
The chief selector also backed the inclusion of Litton despite him scoring 79 runs in six T20Is against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
"We needed a wicketkeeper-batter to replace Litton," Ashraf said. "We need two wicketkeepers in the squad, also considering the concussion sub situation. We discussed Anamul Haque Bijoy in this equation. But despite his poor form, we put our trust in Litton. He has been working on his batting."
As part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh are gearing up for a three-match T20I series in the USA. However, Taskin Ahmed will not be part of this series. Bangladesh will start their T20 World Cup campaign on June 8 against Sri Lanka in Dallas.
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