Bangladesh cricket chiefs on Tuesday axed aggressive opening batsman Tamim Iqbal for the Asia Cup one-day tournament starting in Dhaka on March 11. Former captain Mashrafe Mortaza returned to the 14-man squad after steering Dhaka Gladiators to victory in the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 competition. Tamim, widely regarded as Bangladesh’s number one batsman, was overlooked despite being declared fit from a groin injury he sustained during the BPL. Chairman of selectors Akram Khan told AFP that Tamim’s name was not approved by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Mustafa Kamal. “It’s a decision of the president,” Khan said. “He selected the final squad, not us.”
The return of Mortaza, a right-arm fast bowler who had been out of the national side for a year because of a recurring knee injury, will bolster the bowling attack of the hosts. Alok Kapali, Rubel Hossain, Naeem Islam, Shahriar Nafees and Farhad Reza were not considered for the Asia Cup after being involved in matches against Pakistan towards the end of last year. Opener Anamul Haque is the only uncapped player in the squad, while batsman Mohammad Nazimuddin, wicketkeeper-batsman Jahurul Islam and seamer Shahadat Hossain earned recalls after good showings in domestic leagues. The BCB said it will announce the name of the captain later. Defending champions India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the other teams competing for the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh squad: Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Nazimuddin, Jahurul Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny, Nazmul Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Anamul Haque.
