Bangladesh have put a strong squad together to take on Afghanistan in a T20 International series in June.
The northern Indian city of Dehradun will make its debut as an international cricket venue during the series. Bangladesh will be led by 31-year-old Shakib Al Hasan, a veteran of 63 T20Is, with 75 wickets and a batting strike rate of 120.68. A member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team who has topped the IPL 2018 table, Shakib has performed solidly during the series to date, picking up 13 wickets and contributing with some decent support innings.
Shakib’s deputy is Mahmudullah, who has acted as a stand-in skipper in Tests and T20Is.
Bangladesh will face Afghanistan for 3 T20I matches and here are the Tigers squad for the series. pic.twitter.com/RV9l3nvrFv
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) May 20, 2018
Bangladesh is ranked eighth in the men’s Test rankings and seventh in the ODI stakes (Afghanistan lies in 10th spot), but they are ranked down in 10th spot in the T20I rankings, with Afghanistan sitting two places above them. Afghanistan are set to play their first ever Test match against India in Bangalore on 14 June, shortly after the T20I series against Bangladesh is completed.
The T20I series will mark the first taste of international cricket at the new Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun.
Afghanistan v Bangladesh, T20I series
1 June | Warm-up game v TBA
3 June | First T20I
5 June | Second T20I
7 June | Third T20I
Photo by: Rahul Gulati /SPORTZPICS for BCCI