Daily Times

Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan was passed fit after an eye problem to be picked in the Bangladesh squad for the second and final test against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday in Chattogram. Bangladesh lost the first test by 328 runs inside four days. Shakib has been out of the national team since November at the Cricket World Cup in India. The captain hit 82 and took two wickets to beat Sri Lanka. But he broke his left index finger, and a vision problem was revealed. He’s been playing for the last two months in the Bangladesh and Dhaka Premier Leagues with success. Shakib’s last test was in April 2023 against Ireland in Mirpur. Batter Towhid Hridoy has been dropped to accommodate Shakib. Also out is pace bowler Mushfik Hasan, who has picked up a left ankle injury. Fellow pacer Hasan Mahmud, who has played 39 matches for Bangladesh in white ball cricket but has yet to feature in a test, replaced him. Mahmud has 49 wickets from 16 first-class outings.