Soumya Sarkar has been named as a replacement for the injured Liton Das in Bangladesh’s national squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Afghanistan, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced today.

The matches are scheduled to be held in Sharjah, UAE, on October 2, 3, and 5. Jaker Ali Anik will continue to lead the side in Liton’s absence, following his captaincy in the recent Asia Cup after Liton suffered a strain during practice.

National team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said Liton had a grade-1 strain on his left abdominal muscle and will continue his recovery, making him unavailable for the T20 series. It remains uncertain whether he will be fit for the subsequent three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

Soumya, the only change from the Asia Cup squad, is in good form, scoring 45 and 63 in his last two matches of the ongoing NCL T20 tournament. The 32-year-old all-rounder last played a T20 for Bangladesh in December 2024 against the West Indies in Kingstown.

Bangladesh T20 Squad: 

Jaker Ali Anik (Captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Patwari, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Saifuddin and Soumya Sarkar.

MN/