Sabbir and Shamim in HP squad for Australia, Irfan to captain

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the Bangladesh High Performance (HP) squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, featuring Sabbir Rahman and Shamim Hossain, who are awaiting opportunities to return to the national team. The 15-member Bangladesh squad will participate in the Top End T20 Series held in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The team will be led by experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Irfan Shukkur.

Sabbir Rahman failed to deliver expected performances in the recently concluded two-match T20 series against Malaysia. However, his chances of returning to the national team are not yet over. Meanwhile, Shamim Hossain also has an opportunity to reopen the doors to the national team by performing well in this tournament.

In line with recent trends, the HP squad has been assembled combining promising youngsters with experienced cricketers. Pace-bowling all-rounder Abu Hider Rony, who has not featured in the national team since 2018, is also included in the squad. Other players with international cricket experience are Abdul Gaffar Saklain, Ripon Mondol, and Mohammad Mrittunjoy Chowdhury.

Saklain was part of Bangladesh's T20 squad on the latest tour of Zimbabwe. Ripon Mondol played in the home series against New Zealand, while Mrittunjoy Chowdhury—who played a lone ODI and T20I in 2023—is a regular fixture with the HP and Emerging teams.

Aggressive opening batsman Habibur Rahman Sohan, currently on the South Africa tour with the Emerging team, will also be part of the Australia tour. He holds the record for the fastest fifty and century by a Bangladeshi batsman in List A and T20 cricket. However, Jawad Abrar, who failed to convert a blazing start into a big innings against Malaysia, has missed out on a spot in this squad.

Mystery spinner Mohammad Rubel, who caught attention with stellar bowling in the two matches against Malaysia, will face a tougher test in Australia. Alongside this spinner, who is getting his first opportunity in a BCB-managed team, are regular HP faces Rakibul Hasan. Spinning all-rounders SM Meherob Hasan and Samiun Bashir Ratul are also in the squad.

In the pace department, youth prospect Rohanat Doullah Borson has been retained alongside the experienced players. He recently drew attention by taking a hat-trick and five wickets in a match for the Emerging team in South Africa.

Dropped from the squad that played against Malaysia are Jawad Abrar, Swadhin Islam, Pritom Kumar, Mahfuzur Rahman Rabbi, and Iqbal Hossain. Among them, Pritom Kumar will instead travel to South Africa to play the four-day match series with the 'A' team.

The Northern Territory region of Australia is known as the "Top End." The upcoming edition of the Top End T20 Series, hosted in its capital Darwin, will be the fifth. The Bangladesh HP team is participating in this competition for the third consecutive time. A total of nine teams will compete in this year's tournament.

The Bangladesh HP squad will depart for Australia on Friday. Bangladesh will begin their tournament campaign with a match against the Nepal national team on August 22.

Bangladesh HP Squad:
Irfan Shukkur (Captain), Habibur Rahman Sohan, Jishan Alam, SM Meherob Hasan, Samiun Bashir Ratul, Sabbir Rahman, Rohanat Doullah Borson, Rakibul Hasan, Ariful Islam, Abdul Gaffar Saklain, Ripon Mondol, Mohammad Rubel, Abu Hider Rony, Shamim Hossain, and Mohammad Mrittunjoy Chowdhury.