Shanto back in Bangladesh T20 fold for Asian Games

Najmul Hossain Shanto has returned to Bangladesh’s T20 fold for the upcoming 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announcing a strong 15-member squad for the event on Wednesday.

Shanto, a former captain of the T20I side, last represented Bangladesh in the format against the UAE in Sharjah in May 2025. He was subsequently dropped from the side and has been out of the T20I setup for more than a year.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Regular T20I captain Litton Das will lead the side, with Tawhid Hridoy named vice-captain.

Pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who has been out of competitive cricket since July, will also return to action in the tournament.

Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Tamim, Parvez Emon, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy (vice-captain), Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud.

The squad also features several familiar faces, including Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon and Mosaddek Hossain, while the bowling attack includes Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud.

India have already named a formidable squad featuring Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, while Pakistan's side includes established players such as Sahibzada Farhan and Abrar Ahmed.

Bangladesh, who won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou before claiming bronze in the 2014 and 2022 editions, will enter the competition directly in the quarterfinals.

They will face the winner of Group B -- comprising Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman -- on September 29.