Bashar appointed new Ba€™desh skipper

Dhaka: Khaled Mahmud was sacked as skipper and replaced by veteran batsman Habibul Bashar as the selectors named a 16-member squad for Bangladesh's upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. The 31-year-old Bashar became the fourth captain of the team since Bangladesh acquired the Test status in June 2000. No sooner that the announcement of the squad was made yesterday, Mahmud announced he would quit international cricket, The Daily Star said in a report. Mahmud was apparently upset because not only was he unceremoniously sacked as captain but also dropped from the Test side by Chief Selector Faruque Ahmed who also named Rajin Saleh as the vice-captain. Bangladesh are slated to play two Test matches and five one-day internationals during the tour beginning on February 10. Mahmud won a lot of praise for restoring discipline and cohesion in the team but had come in the line of fire after the side performed miserably in three series including the one in Pakistan. Though the selectors retained Mahmud for the One-dayers, he chose to sign off from international cricket. Ahmed said Bashar was the "best possible choice" to lead the Tigers who are yet to win a Test match in 26 attempts. Squad: Habibul Bashar (capt), Rajin Saleh (vice-capt), Khaled Mashud (wkt), Tapash Baisya, Hannan Sarkar, Shariar Hossain, Mohammad Ashraful, Tareq Aziz Khan, Manjurul Islam Rana, Anwar Hossain Monir, Mushfiqur Rahman, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Alamgir Kabir, Monjurul Islam, Al Shahriar. (PTI)