Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das has been named Bangladesh’s T20I captain for the upcoming series against the UAE and Pakistan. Das replaces Najmul Hossain Shanto, who quit the T20I captaincy earlier this year, while off-spinner Mahedi Hasan has been appointed vice-captain.
Apart from Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam are back in Bangladesh’s 16-member squad for the series against the UAE and Pakistan. They join the team in place of Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ripon Mondol, and Taskin Ahmed.
Das stepped in as Bangladesh’s stand-in captain during the series against the West Indies and guided the hosts to an impressive 3-0 clean sweep in overseas conditions. Overall, Das brings leadership experience across formats, having captained Bangladesh in one Test, seven ODIs, and four T20Is so far.
Das, 30, was recently ruled out of playing for Karachi Kings in PSL 2025 after sustaining a finger injury during training. However, the wicketkeeper-batter is believed to have recovered from the injury and is now fit to lead a 16-member Bangladesh team.
Bangladesh will first face UAE in two T20Is on May 17 and 19 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Then, they will travel to Pakistan to play a five-match T20I series starting on May 25 and ending on June 3.
Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad will host the first two games, while Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is slated to stage the next three matches. Both series will help Bangladesh prepare for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year.
Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (vice-captain), Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful Islam
–IANS
