Nahid Rana debuts as Tigers opt to field in first SL Test
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat first in the first of two Tests at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet today, hoping to utilise the early morning conditions with the presence of “moisture on the pitch”.
Pacer Nahid Rana, known for his ability to consistently clock north of 140 km/h but has no more than 15 first-class matches under his belt, makes his debut for the hosts. 21-year-old Rana will form the pace battery alongside Shoriful Islam and Khaled Ahmed while spinners Taijul Islam and Mehedi Hasan Miraz are expected to do the bulk of bowling, more so in the second innings.
Meanwhile, keeper-batter Liton Das returned to starting eleven after sitting out the New Zealand Tests last year by having taken a paternity leave. Liton will be desperate to score big following his subpar outings with the ball in the shorter formats of late.
Bangladesh are missing their veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim due to finger injury he suffered in the preceding ODI series, won by the Tigers by a 2-1 margin while the tour-opening T20I series was clinched by the visitors by the same margin. Mushfiqur’s injury also gives 22-year-old middle-order batter Shahadat Hossain Dipu, a prospect for the long run, a chance to make his presence felt.
The Tigers are yet to win a home Test or a Test series against the island nation.
Playing XIs:
Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Liton Das (w), Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam
Sri Lanka: Nishan Madushka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (w), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara.
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