Visakhapatnam
Mushfiqur was absent from the Sri Lanka Tests due to a thumb injury, while Taskin had taken a break from red-ball cricket to recover from a shoulder injury. Taskin will only be available for the second Test in Karachi starting on August 30 but will feature in the second four-day game for Bangladesh A on August 20.
Six players from the Test squad have already arrived in Pakistan with the Bangladesh A side. Mushfiqur and Mominul are among them and are set to play in the first four-day game in Islamabad from August 13.
“The emphasis was on selecting our best players for this format,” chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain stated. “This squad is well-balanced, with experienced players like Mushfiqur, Mominul, and Shakib leading the team.”
Taskin’s last Test match was in January against New Zealand. He has been included in the squad to ease him back into the longer format after a period of playing limited-overs cricket.
Regarding the tough challenge posed by Pakistan, Ashraf mentioned, “Pakistan are formidable opponents, especially at home. It will be a challenging tour for us, but we are prepared.”
The first Test is scheduled for August 21 in Rawalpindi, followed by the second in Karachi on August 30. The squad will undergo training at the Gaddafi Stadium from August 14 to 16 before heading to Islamabad on August 17 for the first Test.
Bangladesh Test squad
: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed
