Bangladesh Announce Test Squad as Taskin Returns for West Indies

Bangladesh have unveiled their 15-member squad for the first Test against West Indies at home, and the selection includes the return of Taskin Ahmed.

Taskin did not feature in the recent Abu Dhabi Test against Afghanistan, which Bangladesh ended with a draw. He now comes back in place of Khaled Ahmed. In that match, Hasan Mahmud claimed a hat-trick, and Taskin had publicly congratulated him.

The first Test is scheduled for October 28 at Mirpur.

Litton Das returns to the squad after missing the UAE ODI tri-series due to a hip injury. He is also the white-ball captain. On the other hand, Soumya Sarkar has not been retained. He sat on the bench for the complete Australia and Afghanistan series and last played a Test in February 2021.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz has also earned a spot. He was affected by viral fever during the tri-series, where he featured in one of the two games.

Najmul Hossain Shanto leads the team. Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Naeem Hasan are the specialist spinners. The seam attack features Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed. Naahid Rana is not in the group, as he is still recovering from a side strain.

Both Tests will play a crucial role in Bangladesh's journey toward the World Test Championship 2027 final. After six matches, they stand fourth with three wins, one draw and two losses, giving them a win percentage of 55.56. South Africa are placed above them with 67 percent, having recently won the second Test against Australia.

Full squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Zaker Ali, Litton Das (wicketkeeper), Mominul Haque, Tanzid Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim and Naeem Hasan.