Jaker replaces Aliss in T20I squad

Batter Jaker Ali Anik has been called up to the Bangladesh national cricket team for their upcoming three-match Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka, which will start on March 4 in Sylhet, to replace off-spinner Aliss Al Islam, the Bangladesh Cricket Board informed today.

Aliss, who was picked for the Tigers for the first time in this series, has been ruled out after sustaining an injury to his finger playing for Comilla Victorians in the 10th Bangladesh Premier League.

‘Aliss underwent an MRI, confirming a right middle finger MCP joint ligament sprain and swelling. His recovery is estimated to take two to three weeks, thus ruling him out of the series,’ national team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said.
Jaker, his replacement, also played for Comilla in the recently-concluded BPL, scoring 199 runs with a strike rate of 141.

However, the change is not like-for-like, and national team chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that it was to make the team more balanced as there are several other spinners already in the squad.

‘In addition to Aliss, we have three other frontline spinners in Rishad (Hossain), Taijul (Islam), and Shak Mahedi (Hasan) in the T20 squad. We believe that instead of adding another spinner to replace Aliss, the team’s balance would be better served by including someone like Jakir Ali, who can bolster the middle or lower-middle order and serve as a finisher,’ he said.

The first match of the series will be played on March 4 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, followed by the second and third match at the same venue on March 6 and 9.