Youngster Tanzid Hasan Tamim has been selected as the replacement for the injured Tamim Iqbal as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selection panel announced the 17-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup on Saturday.
Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, and Shamim Hossain returned to the squad, while there was no place for Mahmudullah Riyad.
Tamim, on August 3, resigned from ODI captaincy and announced that he would be unavailable for the Asia Cup due to a back injury.
Tanzid, a skilled left-handed opener, who shined for Bangladesh A Team in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in July. His remarkable performance, including three fifties in four matches, earned him a spot in the national team. He was one of the key players in Bangladesh's victory at the U-19 World Cup in 2020.
Mahmudullah Riyad was called up to the fitness camp ahead of the tournament but eventually the 38-year-old could not make his return to the squad since he was axed from the side in the home series against Ireland.
Mahedi returned to the squad for the first time since 2021, while Nasum returned to the squad after the last home series against Ireland.
"The team was formed based on input from all members of the team management," explained Minhajul Abedin, the BCB chief selector, during the squad announcement. "We engaged in extensive discussions before finalizing this 17-member lineup."
Despite Mahmudullah being overlooked ahead of the recent Ireland series at home, Minhazul mentioned that he was being rested. This statement raised hopes for Mahmudullah's selection in the Asia Cup squad. He was even part of the preliminary team that had been training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the past few days. However, he did not make the final cut.
"We thoroughly deliberated before reaching a decision regarding Mahmudullah," Minhazul elaborated. "The team management presented a plan, taking into account the upcoming matches, and we made our decision based on that. We also discussed it with the captain."
Despite his underwhelming performance in the four ODIs he has played so far, where he managed only 10 runs, left-handed opener Mohammad Naim has still secured a spot in the team.
However, Tanzid's inclusion came as a big surprise. Minhajul expressed that the team has high expectations from the young opener.
"The selection panel has strong confidence in Tanzid," he stated. "He has been on our radar for a long time. Having been nurtured in the High-performance Unit, we believe he is poised to contribute significantly to the team."
This year's Asia Cup is set to take place at venues across Sri Lanka and Pakistan, featuring a total of six participating teams alongside Bangladesh.
Bangladesh 17-member squad for Asia Cup 2023
Shakib Al Hasan (C), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Mohammad Naim and Nasum Ahmed.
