Bangladesh has added the pacer Nahid Rana to their contingent for the all-important three-match T20I series against West Indies.
Nahid Rana, 22, has represented Bangladesh in six Tests and three ODIs, but he has not yet played any T20I match. He has been featured in the first and second ODI matches against West Indies, where he took just two wickets in his favour.
Currently, the Bangladesh side is in St Vincent preparing for the first match of the series to be played at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown on Monday. The other two T20Is of the series will also be hosted at the venue on December 18 and 20 respectively.
Bangladesh’s T20I captain Litton Das voiced the belief as they bended over the building T20I series after being whitewashed in the one-day internationals. But Bangladesh have the will to recover again and can further motivate themselves with memories of victory at the same venue earlier in the year when they won against Nepal and the Netherlands during the T20 World Cup.
Though rain overspread their practice session just before the match, Litton, taking the place of Najmul Hossain as captain, understated the worries about the readiness of the team for the series.
“No, there are no shortcomings because yesterday we also practised fielding under lights. Most of the players in this team have played both ODIs and Tests, so they are in touch with the game,” Litton said via a video message from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Litton acknowledged that the West Indies are quite a difficult challenge, especially in the T20 format, in which they excel in their home conditions.
He added saying, “More often than not, T20 matches create some sort of trouble for us. And since it happens to be there, at the West Indies’ home ground, it will be all the tougher. I guess we will just need to learn how to deal with this and concentrate on playing a good series.”
Bangladesh squad: Litton Kumar Das (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain Patwari, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud, Ripon Mondol, Nahid Rana
