BCB announces ODI squad for England series

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has revealed its lineup for the first two ODIs of the upcoming three-match series against England.

The series will begin on March 1, 2023, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur, Dhaka.

The second ODI will take place at the same venue on March 3; the third and final match will be held at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram on March 6.

Towhid Hridoy, a young top-order batter from the Sylhet Strikers, is a new face in the 14-member squad. He was one of the leading run-scorers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023, with five fifties. He missed some matches due to a finger injury.

Tamim Iqbal will lead the squad, which includes experienced players such as Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, and Mustafizur Rahman.

The ODI series is part of the inaugural 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, which is a qualifying tournament for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.

Bangladesh is now ranked sixth in the Super League standings, with 120 points from 18 matches; England is ranked third with 135 points from 21 matches.

After the ODI series, a three-match T20I series between Bangladesh and England will take place from March 9 to March 14. The first T20I will be played at ZACS in Chattogram; the second and third T20Is will be played at SBNCS.

The tour was originally planned for September and October 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Both cricket boards mutually agreed to reschedule it for March 2023.

Bangladesh squad

Tamim Iqbal (captain), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Taijul Islam, and Towhid Hridoy