Mehidy dropped by Bangladesh for Asia Cup and have also dropped Mohammad Naim after a string of low scores.
Bangladesh leave out Mehidy for Asia Cup; Nurul, Saif return to the squad.
All-rounder Saif Hassan and wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan have been called up by the Bangladeshi selectors to the senior men’s squad for the Asia Cup next month. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Muhammad Naim, who were both a part of the Bangladeshi team that defeated Pakistan 2-1 last month, were left out.
Beginning on August 30, the same 16-man team will compete in the three-match T20I series against the Netherlands. Mehidy lost his spot in the Asia Cup, but he would have missed the Netherlands games for personal reasons. Following Bangladesh’s 2-1 loss to the UAE, Mehidy, the new ODI captain, rejoined the T20I team but had little effect. Among the four standby players, he was named.
Naim’s home T20 form was unable to translate into international runs. In the three Twenty20 Internationals he played against Pakistan, he scored 32*, 3, and 10. Additionally, Naim’s performance for Bangladesh’s A team in the Top End T20s in Darwin, Australia, was insufficient.
In 2022, Nurul played his final Twenty20 International in the World Cup, scoring just 41 runs in five innings. In the 2024–25 season, he improved his form, scoring 513 runs at a strike rate of 132.90 in the Global Super League, National Cricket League, and Bangladesh Premier League. In 2024, the 31-year-old Nurul had also guided the Rangpur Riders to the first-ever GSL championship.
Saif and Nurul are both participating in the Top End T20s. Saif scored 45 runs against the Melbourne Stars Academy and a half-century against the Pakistan Shaheens. In the five games, Nurul scored a few forties.
The other people on the standby list are Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, and Soumya Sarkar.
Bangladesh’s three Twenty20 International matches against the Netherlands are scheduled for August 30, September 1, and September 3. On September 11, they play Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi to begin their Asia Cup campaign.