Mahmudullah and Mominul dropped, Nasir back for first Australia Test

All-rounder Mahmudullah and left-handed batsman Mominul Haque have been dropped from the 14-member Bangladesh squad for the first Test match against Australia, starting in Mirpur from August 27. National selectors Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar announced the squad at the media centre of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who is a member of national selection committee, was also present at the press meet. Five changes have been made to the squad from their last Test against Sri Lanka earlier this year. Alongside Mominul and Mahmudullah, pacers Subashish Roy, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Rubel Hossain have also been axed from the side. Mominul’s exclusion was a surprise call as he is regarded as one of the best Bangladesh Test batsmen over the past few years. Mominul’s recent form however, has gone a bit downward, compared to the blistering start he made in his Test career. With that said, being dropped from the side in a home series is probably a bit harsh for the top-order batsman.

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“Mahmudullah’s exclusion was expected as he was not in the last Test and we are playing back-to-back series. And as for Mominul, he has been dropped due to his off-form. From January-August he has played six Test innings where he scored one half-century. That’s why he has been dropped. But he is in contention,” said chief selector Minhajul to the media. Three cricketers returned to the Test squad in the form of left-handed batsman Imrul Kayes, all-rounder Nasir Hossain and paceman Shafiul Islam. “Imrul and Soumya Sarkar are playing well in Mominul’s position at the batting order recently. Soumya scored four centuries in his last eight innings with an average of 45.75. And Imrul has an impressive record on home soil. Hence, Mominul had to go down as preference. But that does not mean Mominul’s career is over. Soumya scored lots of runs recently and we are planning to send Imrul as the No 3 batsman. That’s why Mominul has been dropped,” Minhajul informed. Mahmudullah’s exclusion from the squad was predictable as he was not in the playing XI in Bangladesh’s last Test. He was excluded ahead of Bangladesh’s 100th Test back in March in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The experienced right hander played brilliantly in the shorter formats since then, scoring a magnificent century against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy. The chief selector however, informed that good form in ODIs was not considered for Tests. “We are not counting ODI form for Tests. We are considering three formats differently. The decision has been taken after judging the overall situation,” Minhajul explained.

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All-rounder Nasir Hossain returned to the side after playing the last of his 17 Tests against South Africa in 2015. He has been in terrific form in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League this year and eventually earned a Test recall. The chief selector stated that the right-handed batsman and off-spinner has been included due to his additional off-spin ability. “We have counted Nasir slightly differently. Australia have plenty of left-handers in their batting line-up. We were looking for a player who can bat well and also have good off-spinning ability, just like Shuvagata [Hom] in the England series. Hence Nasir has been chosen,” said Minhajul. National selectors Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar announced the squad at the media centre of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday DHAKA TRIBUNE/Rajib DharShafiul has been called up to the Test format after his impressive performance in the practice match. Shafiul took five wickets for just 17 runs there. He played his last Test against England last year in Chittagong. Meanwhile, the BCB also announced a 14-man squad for the two-day practice match against Australia, scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.1st Test squadTamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin AhmedPractice match squadMahmudullah (C) , Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Liton Das, Irfan Sukkur, Saifuddin, Subashish Roy, Abu Zayed Rahi, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Tanbir Hayder, Jubair Hossain Likhon and Abul Hasan Raju.