Taskin, Nahid rested to stay fresh ahead of WTC matches

Dhaka, 19 Sept  - Bangladesh pacers Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana have been rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan as the selectors want to keep them fresh for the upcoming important matches in the World Test Championship (WTC).

Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in the one-off Test in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 9. 

Chief selector Habibul Bashar Suman said Taskin was rested with the team’s upcoming Test commitments in mind.

“We have rested Taskin Ahmed for this Test match. Since we are prioritizing our World Test Championship matches in winter, we want to have him fully available for the Test series against the West Indies. So, he has not been included in this Test. He may play the ODI series,” Bashar said in a video message after announcing the squad for Afghanistan Test.

Following the Afghanistan series, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two Tests against the West Indies at home. The selectors are already planning the workload of their fast bowlers to ensure they are available for the important Tests.

Pacer Nahid Rana has also been ruled out of the Afghanistan Test. He missed the Test series against Australia due to injury and will become fully available for the national team from October 10, a day after the Afghanistan Test begins.

“We definitely thought about Nahid Rana. He will be available from October 10, so he is ruled out of this Test,” Bashar said.

The chief selector also said Bangladesh are prioritizing their next five Tests and want to give Nahid the best possible opportunity to play all of them, including the two home Tests against the West Indies.

    Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik has returned to the Test squad, replacing Amite Hasan as the preferred wicket keeping option alongside the team’s plans for the future.

Bashar said Amite remains a prospect for the future, but Jaker was recalled after regaining the form expected of him.

“Jaker Ali Anik was our previous choice. He was dropped due to his form, but he has fulfilled our expectations very well. We felt that Jaker has regained his form, so we selected him as the second wicketkeeper this time,” Bashar said.BSS