Bangladesh have handed top-order batter Saif Hassan his maiden ODI call-up and brought back wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan for the three-match series against Afghanistan, to be held in Abu Dhabi later this month.

Saif, who made a strong case with his recent form, returns to the national setup after a productive Asia Cup campaign, where he scored 61 and 69 in back-to-back innings against Sri Lanka and India.

His calm approach and improved shot selection in the middle overs have caught the selectors’ attention.

Nurul, on the other hand, made an immediate impact in Sharjah this week.

His unbeaten 23 off 13 balls guided Bangladesh to a tense win in the first T20I, marking a timely comeback for the 30-year-old after nearly two years out of the ODI side.

Regular captain Litton Das remains unavailable as he continues to recover from a side strain picked up during the Asia Cup, while Parvez Hossain Emon has been left out of the squad that faced Afghanistan in July.

There have also been some off-field hurdles. Mohammad Naim is yet to receive his UAE visa, delaying his travel, and Soumya Sarkar — part of the T20I setup — remains stranded in Dhaka for the same reason.

ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, along with Najmul Hossain Shanto, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam and Nahid Rana, will fly out on Friday to join the rest of the team.

The ODI leg of the tour begins in Abu Dhabi on October 8, followed by matches on October 11 and 14.

The series comes right after the ongoing T20Is in Sharjah, where Bangladesh have already secured a 2–0 lead.

Bangladesh ODI squad: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud