In addition, Bangladesh replaced the injured Musfik Hasan with uncapped fast bowler Hasan Mahmud.
Shakib, the former captain, has been selected for the second Test, which begins on March 30 in Chattogram, against Sri Lanka. He has played white-ball cricket during this time, including at the ODI World Cup late last year, but he hasn’t played a Test since April 2023 due to an eye ailment. He has lately participated for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League List A competition and for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Shakib replaces the uncapped Towhid Hridoy in the team. In the first Test match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost by 328 runs in Sylhet. Towhid was not included in the XI. Another alteration to the lineup is in the fast-bowling department, where Hasan Mahmud has replaced the injured Musfik Hasan, who will need rehabilitation due to a left ankle injury. Like Musfik, Mahmud has not received a Test cap, but he has participated in 39 international white-ball matches.
Shakib was unable to play in the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka due to a retinal problem in his left eye. To solve the problem, he had gone to see an eye doctor in Singapore at the beginning of the year.
At the time, Shakib said that his illness was the reason why batting had been difficult for him. Before climbing back into the top three in the BPL later on, he had pushed himself down Rangpur’s list. With 17 wickets at an economy of 6.31, he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the BPL after scoring 255 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate of 158.38. In Qualifier 2, Rangpur was defeated by the eventual winners, Fortune Barishal.
Bangladesh team to play Sri Lanka in the second Test
Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan, Shadman Islam, Litton Das, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud
