Bangladesh is expected to name Rony Talukdar to their squad for the next two ODIs against Afghanistan.
A top BCB official confirmed the news to Cricbuzz, noting that they need a third opener in the team after ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket.
Talukdar received his first call-up during the home series against Ireland, replacing injured batter Zakir Hasan, and he was also part of the team that flew to England to play three One-Day Internationals against Ireland.
However, he was dropped from the series against Afghanistan before Tamim’s surprise exit cleared the path for him to return to the ODI squad.
“Rony (Talukdar) will be drafted in the squad as we need another opener in the squad given the absence of Tamim Iqbal,” said the official, adding that Litton Kumar Das is expected to lead the side while a new captain will be announced soon, with Shakib al Hasan the frontrunner for the position.
On July 5, Bangladesh was defeated by Afghanistan by 17 runs in the D/L method at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. On July 8 and 11, they will play their second and third games at the same location.
Tamim has already left the team hotel and returned to his Chattogram home. The hitter comes from a cricketing family in Chattogram, as his uncle Akram Khan and elder brother Nafees Iqbal have both represented Bangladesh, and he has established himself as one of the country’s most consistent performers.
The BCB has arranged an emergency board meeting for the evening at a downtown hotel, and the board will respond to Tamim’s decision to retire from international cricket.
Tamim did not answer phone calls from board executives prior to making the official announcement of his retirement, prompting them to send a former national skipper to meet with him in person, albeit that effort was futile.
