Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returned to Bangladesh’s 18-member Test squad for the two-match series against West Indies after recovering from his groin injury.

Shakib sustained the injury during the third ODI against West Indies which Bangladesh won by 120 runs to complete a clean sweep. The southpaw was the man of the series in the three-match ODI series, with which he returned to the International circuit following his ICC-imposed ban due to his failure to report the corrupt approaches from the bookies.

His return to the Test squad was also expected but the injury made the things uncertain. However he returned to training today (Saturday) after a scan last week revealed no major damage and subsequently quelled all kinds of uncertainties.

The West Indies series will mark his return to Test cricket since playing his last Test against Afghanistan in 2019. During the ban, Shakib missed the Bangladesh Test series against India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

“Hopefully he will make his comeback Test series a memorable one like the way he did in one-day series,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu said.

Apart from Shakib, the national selectors included two uncapped players in middle order Yasir Ali Chowdhury Rabbi and pacer Hasan Mahmud. Both Hasan Mahmud and Yasir were picked against Zimbabwe for a one-off Test last year for the first time but couldn’t make their debut. Hasan Mahmud however made his one-day debut during the three-match ODI series against West Indies performed up to the mark.

Mahmud’s raw pace was his main strength and has taken 37 wickets in 14 first-class matches thus far. Yasir has been in tremendous form averaging 51.33 in 51 first-class matches with eight centuries.

“Both of them had already shown their credential. For sometimes, they were in the selection radar. They are now included in the Test squad and hopefully they will live up to the expectation if they are given the chance,” Abedin said.

The national selectors in fact retained all of the players who were in the squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe last year and only added two players in opener Shadman Islam and Shakib Al Hasan.

The first Test begins on February 3 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, while the second Test is from February 11 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Bangladesh squad: Mominul Haque (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Saif Hassan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Shadman Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.

Source: BSS