Bangladesh recalled Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad, Soumya Sarkar, and Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan for the first two of the three upcoming ODIs against New Zealand in Dhaka next week. “The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the squad for the first and second ODIs of this month’s three-match series against New Zealand in Dhaka,” BCB said in a statement. Wary of managing the workloads of several key players ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup, which will get underway in India next month, Bangladesh have decided them in the first two ODIs against New Zealand. Swashbuckling keeper-batsman Litton Das will lead the side in the absence of regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, who has been rested. Among the other key players rested are Mushfiqur Rahim, all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the pace battery of Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam. Despite several key names missing, Bangladesh will not go into the series short on experience as the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar and Nurul Hasan Sohan will mark their return to the limited-overs setup. The Tigers have called up three uncapped players — southpaw Zakir Hasan, pacer Khaled Ahmed and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
