The 26-year-old has featured in only one out of the six T20I games Bangladesh played so far this year.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier today. The nations are currently playing an all-format series hosted by Sri Lanka. The Islanders also have the edge after winning the two-Test series 1-0 and have started the three-match ODI leg with a win. The short-format series is slated to start from July 10. Notably, former Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has failed to make the cut, owing to his poor form.
WI
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AUS
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TBC
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TBC
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HUN
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LUX
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AUST
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ROM
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TWI
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BAN
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ESM
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BAN
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TWI
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SPE
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SPE
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ESM
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TWI
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ESM
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RPH
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JIHCC
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HDN
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ALZ
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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CHK
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TCC
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ALECC
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SUL
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FRC
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MXC
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JBK
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MBMS
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UTC
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KLG
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MKP
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SWCL
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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KNY
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NIG
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UAE
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UGA
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VMK
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MMS
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BAD
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BDS
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SGT
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MAK
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WIU19-W
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USAU19-W
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TBLZ-W
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BRB-W
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TBC
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TBC
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Match Cancelled
SUR-W
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TBC
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SAC
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AAC
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IAC
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EDC
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IRE-W
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ZIM-W
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For the unversed, Shanto had stepped down from T20I captaincy earlier in January in a bid to focus on his batting. Furthermore, Shanto had featured in only one out of the six T20I matches Bangladesh played this year which suggests the management’s indication to move away from him and have finally taken a bold decision to drop him.
The 26-year-old recently relinquished his captaincy reins in Tests after the loss to Sri Lanka. He has lost his leadership across all three formats in a span of six months after BCB decided to remove him as ODI captain ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.
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Apart from Shanto, five other Bangladesh players have lost their spot, who were part of the Pakistan T20I series that took place in May. The players who faced the axe are Soumya Sarkar, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, Nahid Rana, and Khaled Ahmed.
On the other hand, two players will be returning after a long hiatus. All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin has made a return to the T20I setup after a gap of one year. Mohammad Naim too made a return after a three-year wait following his consistent scores in the 2024-25 domestic season. The left-handed batter scored 511 runs in the last BPL season with an average of 42.58 and a strike rate of over 140. The other returnees are Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Nasum Ahmed.
The Bangla Tigers have lost their last two T20I series against Pakistan and UAE and will be hoping to turn around their fortunes when they lock horns against the Lankans next.
Bangladesh T20I squad for Sri Lanka series: Litton Kumar Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain Patwari, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.
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