Bangladesh announce squad for T20 world cup with a strong bowling attack

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup, banking heavily on a strong pace attack led by experienced fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.

The selection features a balanced mix of pace and spin, with Mustafizur and Taskin spearheading the fast-bowling unit alongside Tanzeem Hasan, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin. In the spin department, Rashad Hossain, Naseem Ahmed and all-rounder Mehidy Hasan will shoulder the responsibility.

Taskin Ahmed returns to the national side after missing the December series against Ireland due to his participation in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. The right-arm pacer brings significant experience, having claimed 106 wickets in 86 T20 Internationals.

On the batting front, Liton Das will captain the side, with Tanzeed Hasan, Saif Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy expected to form the core of the run-scoring unit. However, batter Jakir Ali has been left out of the squad following a disappointing run of form. Jakir managed just 378 runs in 26 T20 matches in 2025, leading selectors to drop him from the World Cup lineup.

The T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the squad announcement, reports had suggested that Bangladesh was considering requesting a shift of its matches from India amid rising diplomatic tensions and controversy surrounding Mustafizur Rahman’s release from an IPL franchise. However, the BCB has not issued any official statement on the matter.

Bangladesh have been placed in Group C and will face the West Indies, England and Italy in Kolkata, before playing their final group match against Nepal in Mumbai. The team will begin its World Cup campaign against the West Indies on February 7.

BANGLADESH SQUAD:

Liton Das (captain), Tanzeed Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Qazi Noorul Hasan Sojan, Mehidy Hasan, Rashad Hossain, Naseem Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzeem Hasan Saqib, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam