Young mysterious off-spinner Alis Al Islam received his maiden international call-up for the forthcoming T20i series against Sri Lanka, but he has been ruled out of the series due to a finger injury. In his place, wicketkeeper-batsman Jaker Ali has regained a national call-up.
Alis represented the Comilla Victorians outfit in the recently concluded BPL and secured nine wickets from eight matches, earning him a national call-up. However, the off-spinner sustained a finger injury during the match between Sylhet Strikers and Comilla Victorians on February 19.
An MRI report revealed a MSP Joint Ligament Sprain, which has sidelined him as such injuries typically require two to three weeks for recovery.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) opted for Jaker Ali as Aliss replacement. Jaker is known for his hard-hitting abilities and is considered a finisher.
"We have three spinners in the squad besides Alis; they are Rishad Hossain, Taijul Islam and Shaikh Mahadi," stated BCBs new Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu.
"Inclusion of a batter like Jaker instead of another spinner will enhance team balance. His addition will strengthen the lower-middle order as he is an effective finisher," rationalized Lipu.
Similar to Alis, Jaker also played for the Victorians in the BPL, who batted in the lower order and scored 199 runs from 10 innings at an average of 91.5 and a strike rate of 141 with 14 boundaries.
Jaker received a national call-up last year for the T20i series against Ireland but was dropped without playing a match.
