Shafiul, Ebadat roped in as replacements for New Zealand tour

Shafiul Islam last played an ODI for his country in October 2016 © Getty

Shafiul Islam replaces the injured Taskin Ahmed in the Bangladesh's 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Tuesday (February 5). Meanwhile, uncapped pacer Ebadat Hossain has been roped in as Taskin's replacement in the Test squad.

BCB was forced to seek a replacement for Taskin after he sustained an ankle injury during the Bangladesh Premier League match between Sylhet Sixers and Chittagong Vikings.

Shafiul, who played his last ODI game against England in Chittagong on 2016, returned to the national side on the back of consistent performances in BPL, having picked up 15 wickets in the competition so far.

The 25-year-old Ebadat made his first-class debut for Sylhet Division in September 2016, has picked up 59 wickets in 19 matches. In November 2018, playing for North Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League, he bagged a 10-wicket haul in the match against Central Zone. He also bagged a four-fer in Sylhet Sixers victory against Chittagong Vikings in a recent BPL game.

"We picked Shafiul because of his experience while we opted Ebadat because he impressed us with his pace," chief selector Minhajul Abedin told Cricbuzz. "I am sure both will try to capitalise the opportunity."

Bangladesh tour of New Zealand gets underway with a three-match ODI series which starts on February 13, followed by a three-Test series.