Bangladesh Cricket Team suffered a huge blow ahead of the Asia Cup 2022. Two key players, pace bowler Hasan Mahmud and Wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan will miss the Asia Cup 2022 due to injuries.
The six-team tournament starts on August 27 in UAE. The news of an injury to both players just a week before the start of the tournament comes as a shock for the selectors.
But Bangladesh Cricket Board has not named a replacement for the pace bowler Mahmud. Hasan Mahmud hurt his ankle while training last week. Hasan will be out of action for a month. The 22-year-old pace bowler has represented Bangladesh in 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is so far.
On the other hand, wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan Sohan had surgery on his injured finger. So, he needs more time to recover and return to full fitness. Sohan has represented Bangladesh in 7 Tests, 6 ODIs, and 35 T20Is.
Mohammad Naim enters the 17-member Asia Cup 2022 squad. He is the replacement for Wicket Keeper batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan.
Bangladesh is already without the star batsman Liton Das due to a hamstring injury. He can also play as a Wicketkeeper batsman. Liton Das played a vital role in the previous Asia Cup in 2018. He scored a quick-fire century against India off 87 balls in the finals.
India and Pakistan start as favorites to win the Asia Cup 200. But both these teams are facing their injury woes as well. They have lost their star pace bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi respectively, due to different injuries. So it would be interesting to see who steps up in their absence for their respective teams.
Focus on Bangladesh for Asia Cup 2022
Bangladesh Cricket Team will be in focus again for the Asia Cup 2022. The team managed to reach the finals of the previous edition of the Asia Cup, only to lose against seven-time Asia Cup winners India.
Once again, the team will depend on their senior players Shakib al Hasan, Mahmud Ullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, and pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman to come good for them. The BCB will also be hoping to find some young talents for the future.
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Bangladesh team in this edition of the Asia Cup. The 17-member squad departs for Dubai on August 23. But the star all-rounder warns the Bangladeshi fans to keep their expectations low from their side.
He also said that the aim of the team must forget the past and focus on the upcoming T20I world cup later this year. The Bangladesh cricket team had a horrible tour of Zimbabwe last month. The team lost both ODI and T20I series to Zimbabwe. They were heavily criticized by the media and Bangladeshi fans for losing to a weaker Zimbabwe side.
Remarks from the New Captain
The new Skipper Shakib al Hasan was quoted saying “ I have no goals for the tournament” when asked about his expectations from this Bangladeshi side. “If someone thinks I can change certain things in one or two days, he is living in a fool’s world”
“If you can think practically. Our real development as a team can be seen in the upcoming T20I World Cup in three months”
Legendary Australian all-rounder Shane Watson believes. Bangladesh Cricket Board did the right thing by appointing Shakib al Hasan as the captain for the T20Is.
Talking to the ICC review. Watson was quoted saying “To have a leader like Shakib, I think is going to re-energize the Bangladesh team”. “Shakib has enough experience. He captained Bangladesh earlier in his career.
Shakib has captained a lot of franchise tournaments too, especially in the Bangladesh Premier League”.
Bangladesh Squad for Asia Cup 2022
Shakib al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Afif Hossain, Mahmud Ullah, Mohammad Saifuddin, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shabbir Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Naim, Parvez Hossain Emon
