Shanto dropped from T20 squad; Saifuddin makes a comeback

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka. The announcement saw the exclusion of former T20 captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has struggled with inconsistent batting form in recent times.

Shanto had already stepped down from his leadership role in the shorter format due to ongoing criticism over his performance. This time, he has been left out of the squad altogether.

After a year-long hiatus, all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin has earned a recall to the T20 squad. He will be joined by Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Nasum Ahmed, who have all been reinstated for the series.

Conversely, several players who featured in the previous Pakistan series, including Soumya Sarkar, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, Nahid Rana, and Khaled Ahmed, have been omitted from the current squad.

The three-match series is set to begin on July 10 in Kandy, with the subsequent matches scheduled for July 13 in Dambulla and July 16 in Colombo.

Bangladesh T20 Squad for Sri Lanka Series:

Litton Kumar Das (Captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Towhid Hridoy, Zakir Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain Patwary, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.