The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Saturday (March 2) that wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik has been drafted into the T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka as a replacement for off-spinner Aliss Al Islam.
Comilla Victorians in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
"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 in a statement on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Jaker showcased impressive form for Comilla Victorians in the recent BPL, amassing 199 runs at an average of 99.5 and a strike rate of 141. Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chairman of the selection panel said that they have replaced a spinner with a middle-order batter as they already have slow bowlers in their squad.
"In addition to Aliss, we have three other frontline spinners in Rishad (Hossain), Taijul (Islam), and Shak Mahedi (Hasan) in the T20 squad," said Ashraf. "We believe that instead of adding another spinner to replace Aliss, the team's balance would be better served by including someone like Jaker Ali, who can bolster the middle or lower-middle order and serve as a finisher," he said.