After winning the ODI series against Ireland, Bangladesh is now hoping to repeat its performance against Ireland. Bangladesh will play three-match T20 series against Ireland on March 27, 29, and 31. All these matches will be played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Previously Bangladesh whitewashed the World Champion England in a T20 series ten days ago. And the team has enough confidence to whitewash Ireland too. Let's take a look at the Bangladesh T20 Squad against Ireland in the upcoming 2023 BAN vs IRE T20 Series.
Bangladesh T20 Squad Against Ireland
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali.
Changes in Bangladesh Team for BAN vs IRE T20 Series 2023
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a team of fourteen members to compete in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland, starting on March 27th. Two new players, Rishad Hossain, and Jaker Ali Anik, have been included in the Bangladesh squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland.
Leg spinner Rishad has been a part of the senior setup for a few years now but has yet to be given a proper chance - even in the domestic tournaments. The last time he played in a domestic tournament was two years ago in the Dhaka Premier League T20s.
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Unfortunately, Rishad has only bowled 5.1 overs in the current first-class competition. This makes his inclusion in the team the most interesting call. Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach, likely wanted to observe his performance at the international level. The such experiment is not new for Hathurusingha. During his first period as the coach for the Bangladesh team in 2014, he chose leg spinner Jubair Hossain too.
On the other hand, Jaker has been a standout performer in the Bangladesh Cricket League, notching up three consecutive centuries and finishing as the tournament's highest run-scorer with 492 runs in six innings. He was also a key contributor to Comilla Victorians' BPL championship victory this season.
However, the regular T20 players Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan were left out of the squad. Afif, along with Shoriful Islam, was also excluded from the ODI squad for the last game. The exclusion of Afif is a major disappointment for the young, energetic batter. His 61 consecutive appearances in T20I had come to a halt when he was excluded from the third T20I match against England. Until recently, Afif was guaranteed to be chosen for both the white-ball formats, but he currently finds himself on the sidelines.
But Shoriful was released from the ODI roster to participate in the Dhaka Premier League but is included in the T20 team against Ireland. Additionally, Tanvir Islam and Rezaur Rahman, who were in the squad that played against England, were not included against Ireland.
Read More: Hasan Records Maiden Five-wicket Haul as Ireland Tumble for 101
Bangladesh Squad Analysis
Apart from the changes mentioned above, the squad remains similar to the squad that whitewashed Bangladesh. So, it can be assumed that Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Shakib Al Hasan will be Bangladesh’s trump card as they have shown their class against England.
Najmul Hossain Shanto
Najmul Hossain Shanto's stellar performance in Bangladesh vs England T20 series was remarkable, amassing a total of 144 runs and an impact of 153.2 over three matches. He displayed his remarkable proficiency at the highest level of cricket, with an average impact per match of 51, ultimately leading to Bangladesh's victory.
His BPL experience was evident, as he put in an exceptional effort across all three matches, making an invaluable contribution to the team's success. In addition to that, he scored 98 runs in the ongoing ODI series against the Irish.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Miraz is also in good form. Mehidy Hasan Miraz put on an impressive show during Bangladesh's T20 series against England, offering a well-rounded performance in both batting and bowling. Across two matches, his total impact was a formidable 104.4, averaging out to an impressive 52.2 per match.
Read More: Bangladesh vs Ireland: Tigers call up two uncapped players to T20 squad
His most noteworthy performance came in the second T20, where he took four crucial wickets for just 12 runs, helping his team to secure a victory. Demonstrating his versatility, Miraz made a valuable contribution through both bowling and batting, earning him praise for his efforts.
Shakib Al Hasan
And finally, the captain Shakib Al Hasan is the man behind the whitewash against England. His game plan and tactics are noteworthy for Bangladesh. Often, analysts speak of Shakib Al Hasan's acuity in cricket, and he displayed both good judgment and composure in Bangladesh vs England series. He demonstrated amazing skill when it came to managing his bowlers. So, it is expected that we will see his brilliant captaincy against the Irish too.
Under Hathurusingha, it seems the Bangladesh team has got a boost. And the coach’s strategy appears to outrank the team’s weakness.
Final Words
Bangladesh has taken one year plan to develop the T20 team targeting the World Cup in 2024. That’s why the management and the coach want to look at new cricketers to move forward with the plan. Apart from that, the dropped cricketers will also be under their watch. So, this Bangladesh’s T20 squad against Ireland will bring some new experience for the management.