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Bangladesh will lock horns with Ireland in a one-off Test that begins on April 4 in Dhaka. The three prominent names in the squad announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) include Shakib al Hasan, Litton Das and Tamim Iqba. Although the duo of Shakib and Litton was expected to join the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this week, the team declaration has confirmed that they will only be joining the cash-rich league after the completion of the Test match.
Shakib and Litton are both part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the IPL and are set to miss at least two matches of the tournament due to national commitments. The BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that the board had already informed the franchises of the departure dates of Bangladeshi cricketers and added that their decision would remain unchanged.
“We will let them (the Bangladesh players) go to the IPL in accordance with what we informed the tournament about their availability. We haven’t changed our decision,” Nazmul Hassan told ESPN Cricinfo.
However, fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has arrived in India and is training with the Delhi Capitals (DC) team.
While Shakib and Litton featured in Bangladesh’s last Test squad against India in December 2022, there have been several changes made to the team for the upcoming Test against Ireland. The return of Tamim, Shadman Islam, Ebadot Hossain, and Shoriful Islam is noteworthy, as they missed the previous series. Tamim’s absence was due to a groin injury, while Ebadot was also out following an injury during the second Test against India.
Shadman is replacing Zakir Hasan, who is ruled out due to a left thumb injury. Zakir made a remarkable Test debut last year, scoring a century against India. Notably, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Anamul Haque and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been dropped from the squad.
Bangladesh squad for Ireland Test:
Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy.
