Masrafe Bin Mortaza, former Bangladesh captain and a current MP, contended that Tamim Iqbal's absence from the World Cup squad was a matter of choice rather than Bangladesh Cricket Board's decision. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) unveiled the World Cup squad on Tuesday, sans Tamim Iqbal. Tamim's World Cup exclusion due to injury: Chief Selector Chief selector Minhajul Abedin attributed Tamim's omission to concerns about his injuries, but Masrafe put forth a different perspective. "While many assert that Tamim was left out, the truth is that Tamim chose not to be part of the team," Mashrafe stated. "There is a significant distinction between exclusion and a voluntary decision not to join." Bangladesh suffers ODI series defeat to New Zealand Masrafe shared his take on his social media account after the team was announced. He was spotted at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, the same day the squad was unveiled. It remains uncertain whether he played a part in any deliberations regarding the team selection. Tamim's exclusion from the World Cup squad reverberated as a surprising development within Bangladesh's cricketing circles. The esteemed opener has grappled with a longstanding injury. Mahmudullah 4th Bangladeshi to score 5000 runs in ODIs He sat out the Asia Cup due to the same reason, dedicating over a month to rehabilitation. He had to leave captaincy for the same as well. Tamim Iqbal made a return during the New Zealand series, batting in just one match before his injury resurfaced, leading to his absence from the final match.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan paid a visit to the US Embassy in Dhaka and engaged in friendly cricket with US Ambassador Peter Haas. The US Embassy shared a video on their social media platforms, showing Shakib bowling to Haas, who in turn faced Shakib's deliveries.  The video captured the camaraderie between Shakib and the US Ambassador, along with others briefly participating in the friendly game of cricket. Bangladesh poised to be a formidable contender in World Cup, Shakib believes Accompanied by his wife and children, Shakib also posed for a photo with the US ambassador. Bangladesh ready for Asia Cup with Shakib at the helm Shakib's wife, Umme Ahmed Shishir, lives in the US with their children, and Shakib frequently travels to the US whenever he finds breaks in his busy cricketing schedule. Shakib is currently enjoying a break from cricket. He is expected to join the national team soon that will travel to India to take part in the World Cup. Shakib chosen as ODI Captain of Bangladesh

Despite an impressive debut, right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed was initially omitted from the Bangladesh ODI squad in favor of senior player Taskin Ahmed, who was rested. However, within 24 hours, Taskin was sidelined due to illness, paving Khaled's return for the third and final ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand on Tuesday. Asia Games Cricket: Bangladesh women win bronze beating Pakistan by 5 wickets Along with Khaled, left-handed batter Afif Hossain has also been recalled to the national team for the third ODI, rejoining after being rested for the first two matches against the same opponent. The first match of the series was washed out due to heavy rain. However, New Zealand secured a memorable win in the second match, marking their first ODI victory in Bangladesh in 15 years. Now, the visitors have the opportunity to clinch the series if they emerge victorious in the last match on Tuesday. Litton rested, Shanto to lead Bangladesh in 3rd ODI vs New Zealand In the absence of regular captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh in the third ODI against New Zealand. This will mark his first time leading the Bangladesh senior side in an international outing. BAN vs NZ ODI Series: Tamim and Litton may sit out the final match Bangladesh squad for third New Zealand ODI: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Zakir Hasan, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Afif Hossain.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and batsman Sabbir Rahman have been overlooked in the players’ draft for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), scheduled to commence early next year. While Sabbir participated in last year’s BPL, Ashraful missed the previous edition as well. His last appearance in the BPL dates back to 2019. Also read: BPL Players’ Draft 2024: Mushfiqur joins Fortune Barishal with Tamim, Mahmudullah All six franchises have finalized their squads in the players’ draft, and none have expressed interest in Ashraful and Sabbir. Both players are currently distant from the national team, and their performance in recent years has not merited consideration for a return. Also read: Next edition of BPL to be held after general election As Ashraful nears the twilight of his career, Sabbir still has ample cricket ahead of him. Hence, being overlooked in the BPL marks a significant setback for Sabbir, who has represented the Tigers in 125 international matches.

All-rounder Nasir Hossain has been temporarily prohibited from participating in domestic cricket following allegations of corruption by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Sources within the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have confirmed that Nasir must await ICC clearance before resuming his domestic cricket career. The players' draft for the upcoming season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is slated for September 24th. However, Nasir's name does not appear on the list of players released by the BCB. HC accepts appeal challenging suspension order of DSA case against Nasir’s wife Tamima The right-handed all-rounder participated in a T20 league in the UAE in 2021, where he, along with other players, allegedly engaged in unethical practices, according to the ICC. Case against cricketer Nasir: Order on charge framing on Feb 9 Nasir Hossain’s last international match dates back to 2018, after which he has been absent from the national squad. He represented the Tigers in a total of 19 Tests, 65 ODIs, and 31 T20Is. Cricketer Nasir, wife Tamima get bail

Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first in the opening match of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Dhaka on Thursday (September 21, 2023).  Immediately after the toss, rain interrupted play, leading groundsmen to cover the wickets. But within a few minutes, the sun came out, and the covers were removed.  Read: Litton Wants Tamim and Mahmudullah to Rediscover Joy in Their Game Regular Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is absent from this series. Litton Das is leading the side in his place. In this match, Bangladesh included Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad, Soumya Sarkar, and Nurul Hasan, none of whom were part of the Bangladesh team in the Asia Cup held in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Lockie Ferguson is captaining New Zealand in this series. Read: BAN vs NZ ODI Series 2023: Bangladesh Squad Analysis This series presents an opportunity for Bangladesh to fine-tune their World Cup squad. It's particularly significant for Mahmudullah and Soumya, who have a chance to showcase their capabilities for the upcoming World Cup. Bangladesh XI: Litton Das, Tamim Iqbal, Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah Riyad, Towhid Hridoy, Mahedi Hasan, Nurul Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman. New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Will Young, Chad Bowes, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Cole McConchie, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson (capt), Trent Boult. Read more: Sriram Reappointed as Technical Consultant for Bangladesh Team

Every time a team like New Zealand visits Bangladesh, the local conditions take centre stage in discussions. The New Zealanders, who arrived in Dhaka later last week, anticipate conditions different from what they are accustomed to at home. However, Lockie Ferguson, the stand-in captain of the Blackcaps, expressed minimal concern about the conditions. Instead, he eagerly anticipated embracing the challenge Bangladesh presents. On his first visit to Bangladesh, the New Zealand captain had his first media interaction today in Dhaka's Mirpur. New Zealand cricket team's Sept tour: All ODIs to be held in Dhaka Ferguson believes that the seasoned players who have previously played in Bangladesh will provide valuable insights into the conditions and other nuances. They also have an advantage with the former Bangladesh coach, Shane Jurgensen, now part of New Zealand's coaching staff. "We will certainly lean on Jurgensen and a few of our players who were here a couple of years ago in terms of understanding how the pitch plays," Ferguson emphasised. "The conditions are slightly different from what we experienced in England (in their last series). I enjoy playing in the subcontinent." Has Mahmudullah's international career in cricket come to an end? Similarly, several members of the New Zealand squad are preparing to step on to the field in Bangladesh for the first time. The New Zealand captain expressed that Bangladesh's spin attack could play a pivotal role in this series, presenting a significant challenge for those new to the Bangladesh terrain. "Bangladesh is undoubtedly formidable in their home conditions. Hopefully, the rain holds off, but I'm curious to see how the pitch fares tomorrow and throughout this series," he remarked. According to him, New Zealand's spinners may need to assume the role of wicket-takers in this series. However, he didn't discount the potential contributions of the pacers. "I've seen some highlights from here when England visited, and there were still some favourable conditions for pacers. That's when the change-ups become more crucial," he added. "Given the high humidity, the ball tends to swing. We're known for our swing bowling, and I'm confident we'll capitalise on that tomorrow." Saying Goodbye to the Wickets: Stuart Broad Ends His Cricketing Odyssey For both Bangladesh and New Zealand, this series presents a final opportunity to fine-tune their squads ahead of the upcoming World Cup later this year. Some players in the New Zealand team are not part of the World Cup squad. Nonetheless, the stand-in captain sees this series as a chance for them to solidify their positions within the setup. "There's been considerable rotation within international cricket over the past few years, creating more opportunities for them. Undoubtedly, they'll seize this opportunity wholeheartedly this week," added the stand-in captain of the Kiwis.

Bangladesh could not perform well in the recently ended Asia Cup 2023. Shakib Al Hasan’s team will play at home against New Zealand to regain their confidence before the World Cup 2023. The New Zealand team has already reached Dhaka to play the three-match ODI series. BAN vs NZ series will start on September 21, 2023. All the matches will start at 2 pm Bangladesh time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Bangladesh Squad for Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI Series 2023 Litton Das (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Anamul Haque, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Zakir Hasan, Rishad Hossain and Syed Khaled Ahmed. Analysis of Bangladesh Squad Against New Zealand Bangladesh has made the strategic decision to give a break to several key players during the initial two ODIs against New Zealand. Bangladesh Cricket Board aims to maintain the top players’ physical fitness for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Read more: 'Dil Jashn Bole': ICC releases World Cup 2023 Anthem Experienced players Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah have been included in the squad for the initial two ODIs. Their return will surely add valuable depth to the squad, and the selectors can decide if these two should be selected for the World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam are being given rest by the cricket board. This means that when the series starts next Thursday, we will see some new faces on the field. Since Shakib is on rest, Litton Das will be the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team. Some other players, like Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, and Mohammad Naim, were dropped from the squad. Instead, Soumya Sarkar and Nurul Hasan, along with three new and uncapped players, Zakir Hasan, Rishad Hossain, and Khaled Ahmed, have been selected to join the team. So, the upcoming series gives the selectors a chance to see how some other players perform before the World Cup and see if any hidden gem comes out. It can be said that the team has a mix of both experienced and young players. Among them, only Zakir, Khaled, and Rishad haven’t played in ODIs yet. Zakir almost got a chance to play against Ireland in March, but he got injured. Khaled has shown good performance in List A cricket, and Rishad brings something unique to the bowling strategy. Read more: Nic Pothas Steps in as Bangladesh's Interim Coach in Chandika's Absence On August 3, Tamim stepped down from his role as Bangladesh’s ODI captain. He also mentioned that he wouldn’t be playing in the Asia Cup because he needed time to recover from several injuries, and now he is back. Mahmudullah is making a comeback to the team after his last ODI series against England in March. He was given a break initially during the Ireland series in March-April but was later not selected for the away series against Ireland in Chelmsford in May. Additionally, he was also left out of the ODIs against Afghanistan and didn’t play in the Asia Cup. However, Soumya Sarkar’s selection is quite unexpected because he has been struggling with his performance for a while now. It was even surprising when he was picked for the Bangladesh A team in the recent Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams tournament. However, even at that level, he managed to score only 95 runs in three innings, which isn’t considered a strong performance. Read more: BAN vs NZ ODI Series: Tigers seek solutions to persistent issues Additionally, Bangladesh will be without Ebadot Hossain, who has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a recent knee surgery earlier this month. Furthermore, Najmul Hossain Shanto will also be absent from the New Zealand series due to a hamstring injury he sustained after participating in just two games during the Asia Cup. Among the new and uncapped players, Zakir, Rishad, and Khaled have all represented Bangladesh in various forms of cricket but have not played in ODIs yet. Zakir, who usually opens the batting, has an average of 29.92 after playing 103 List A matches. Rishad, who is only 21 years old, has participated in just three List A matches and made his T20I debut against Ireland earlier this year. Khaled, who is nearly 31 years old, is a medium-pace bowler with 64 List A wickets in 47 games. He has also played 12 Test matches for Bangladesh. Read more: New Zealand's stand-in captain embraces Bangladesh challenge Key Players to Watch in the Bangladesh Squad Tanzim Hasan Sakib Tanzim Hasan Sakib is a recent addition to the Bangladesh cricket team. He did great on his ODI debut against India in the last match of the Asia Cup Super Four round. He managed to take two important wickets of Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma and showed his skills before the 2023 World Cup. The speedster was a member of the Bangladesh Under-19 team that won the 2020 World Cup in South Africa. So, he will definitely get all the attention in this series. Tawhid Hridoy He has been performing well and scoring consistently ever since he made his T20 debut, and he also did pretty well in the Asia Cup. He scored 158 runs with 82 high scores and 68.69 strikes from five appearances in the Asia Cup. Further, his 54 runs off 81 balls contribution against India gave Bangladesh a good fighting chance. So, it is expected he will keep shining in the New Zealand series, too. Mahmudullah Mahmudullah was missed greatly in the Asia Cup 2023 as Bangladeshi top orders failed miserably, and there were no stable players to play in the middle orders. Mahmudullah could have contributed to those situations. So, fans will be looking to his performance in this series and see if he can give his best to be included in the World Cup squad. Overall, Mahmudullah played 218 ODIs for Bangladesh and scored 4950 runs with a highest score of 128 runs. Read more: Bangladesh Women's cricket team reaches China to compete in Asian Games Nasum Ahmed Nasum Ahmed can be a great pick for the middle order. While he did not get much chance to show his talent, he got attention in the last match against India. He scored 44 runs from 45 balls while batting at number 8. His bowling performance was also satisfactory. Although he did not get any wickets in the Asia Cup, his economy rate was 4.05 after bowling 20 overs. So, he will surely try to prove himself in both batting and bowling. Final Words This New Zealand series is an ideal opportunity to check the alternative players for the World Cup while giving the regular players rest. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken the opportunity perfectly. Now, we have to wait until the series ends on September 26 to see the outcome. This BAN vs NZ ODI series is considered as preparation for the World Cup 2023. Hence, the Tigers’ performance in this series will give us an idea about their performance in the World Cup. Read more: How to buy Online Tickets for Bangladesh vs New Zealand Series

Making a noteworthy debut against India in the Asia Cup, right-arm pace bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib exhibited commendable prowess. He swiftly clinched two key wickets at the onset of the innings and subsequently held fort, defending a mere 12 runs in the final over to secure a resounding victory for Bangladesh. This triumphant performance left an indelible mark on Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, who now envisions Tanzim as a crucial asset for the impending World Cup, set to unfold later this year in India. Bangladesh poised to be a formidable contender in World Cup, Shakib believes In the World Cup, Bangladesh will be without the services of pacer Ebadot Hossain, as he fell prey to a knee injury that necessitated surgical intervention. He faces a lengthy recovery period before resuming his cricketing pursuits. In light of this void, Chandika sees Tanzim as a highly promising option to step into the breach. “Tanzim has made a compelling case for inclusion in the Bangladesh World Cup squad,” remarked Chandika in the aftermath of the India match. Bangladesh beat India in Asia Cup after 11 years The Bangladesh coach also emphasized his preference for a four-man pace attack in the World Cup, with Ebadot originally factoring into this strategic blueprint. However, given the pacer's slim chances of regaining fitness in time for the tournament, Chandika is inclined towards considering Tanzim. “I firmly believe it would not be an erroneous decision to include him in the World Cup squad,” Chandika asserted. “He has demonstrated his mettle, and his ability to bat at the late order is an added asset.” Tigers aim for a memorable end to their Asia Cup campaign by facing India Bangladesh's upcoming challenge is a face-off against New Zealand on home turf — a final opportunity to fine-tune their World Cup roster.

In a thrilling denouement to their Asia Cup journey, the Bangladesh cricket team secured a narrow six-run victory over India. Following this triumph, captain Shakib Al Hasan expressed confidence in the Tigers' potential to emerge as formidable contenders in the upcoming World Cup, slated to be held later this year in India. Asia Cup 2023 Final Preview: India or Sri Lanka — Who Will Win? Shakib, at the helm, delivered a pivotal performance with the bat, notching up a crucial half-century. His prowess was equally evident with the ball in the face-off against India in Colombo. While concluding their Asia Cup campaign on a high note, the Tigers did grapple with setbacks, experiencing losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Their other victory came against Afghanistan. "We possess a formidable team," remarked Shakib in the aftermath of the match. "Several of our players suffered injuries during the event; some departed, while others joined midstream. Overall, it didn't bode well for our cause." Bangladesh beat India in Asia Cup after 11 years Shakib went on to emphasize, "However, with a fit squad, we can pose a significant threat in the World Cup." India opted to rest some of their marquee players for the showdown against Bangladesh. Notably, Virat Kohli did not feature in the match, and Jasprit Bumrah was also granted respite. Preview of India vs Bangladesh ODI in Asia Cup 2023 Bangladesh, too, had to contend without their star batter, Mushfiqur Rahim, while the services of right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed went overlooked.