Pacer Al Fahad returns as Bangladesh name U-19 WC squad

Pacer Al Fahad returned to the fold as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15.

Fahad, who missed the recent ACC U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE due to injury, is the only change from the Asia Cup squad, replacing fellow pacer Md Sobuj, who has been named among the seven standbys.

Azizul Hakim Tamim will lead the Junior Tigers in the global event, with Zawad Abrar appointed vice-captain.

The team will depart from Dhaka on Sunday night and will play two practice matches against Pakistan and Scotland ahead of the tournament.

Bangladesh have been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside India, New Zealand and the USA. They will begin their campaign against India on January 17 in Bulawayo, before facing New Zealand on January 20 in Bulawayo and the USA on January 23 in Harare.

The tournament will then move into the Super Six stage, where the top three teams from each of the four groups will be split into two groups. The knockout phase will follow, featuring two semifinals and a final, scheduled to be held on February 6 in Harare.

Bangladesh finished eighth in the 2024 edition in the Caribbean. The Junior Tigers have won the competition only once in 2020 in South Africa.

Bangladesh squad: Azizul Hakim Tamim (c), Zawad Abrar (vc), Samiun Basir Ratul, Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rizan Hossan, Shaharia Al Amin, Shadin Islam, Md Abdullah, Farid Hasan Faysal, Kalam Siddiki Aleen, Rifat Beg, Saad Islam Razin, Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed and Iqbal Hossain Emon.

Standby: Abdur Rahim, Debashis Sarkar Deba, Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Farhan Shahriar, Farzan Ahmed Alif, Sanjid Majumder and Md Sobuj.