Miraz stays back in Pakistan for Bangladesh duty; Soumya returns home
Even after the conclusion of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz will remain in Pakistan to join the Bangladesh T20 squad, while Soumya Sarkar returns home.
Miraz, who is currently playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, has been called up to the national T20 side. He makes his comeback replacing Soumya Sarkar, who has been ruled out due to injury.
Soumya, who couldn’t play any matches against the UAE due to a back injury, will return home from Dubai.
Before the final match of the UAE series, the BCB confirmed on Wednesday that Soumya had been struggling with back pain for over a week. “The pain in the lower right side of his back is healing slower than expected,” the board had said. In a press release on Thursday, Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan added, “Soumya’s rehabilitation may take another 10 to 12 days.”
Soumya’s injury has opened the door for Miraz to return to the squad. Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain explained to BDNews24 the reasoning behind choosing a spin-bowling all-rounder over another top-order batter.
“Right now, both our openers are in good form. And if anything unexpected happens, Shanto is also there as backup. Looking at Pakistan’s squad… they have five left-handed batters — three all-rounders and two top-order players. Considering that, we decided to add an extra off-spinner to our side.”
“Our middle order has also been somewhat inconsistent. So we felt Miraz could be a solid option — perhaps the most fitting one available. We don’t have a lot of alternatives. That’s why we felt instead of sending another top-order batter, it’s better to send someone who can fill the middle-order gap. And he’s already playing white-ball cricket, being in Pakistan for the PSL. That could be an added bonus for us.”
On Wednesday, Miraz is set to play the PSL eliminator match for Lahore Qalandars. The 27-year-old is joined on the team by Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain.
Miraz has represented Bangladesh in 29 T20 internationals. While he’s a regular in the other two formats, he hasn’t quite managed to cement his place in the T20 squad.
His last appearance in T20Is came during the West Indies tour in December, where he scored 26 off 25 and 29 off 23 in two matches batting at number four but failed to take any wickets. He was dropped from the squad after that.
Now, he gets another chance to prove his worth in the shortest format.
Despite not having the best record in T20Is for the national team, Miraz was named Player of the Tournament in the last BPL for his all-round performances.
