England announce squads for white-ball tour of Bangladesh; Tom Abell and Rehan Ahmed included

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its squads, devoid of several major players, for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The Jos Buttler-led side are scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs in March 2023 as injury and franchise cricket have forced the board to name a rather depleted squad.

Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who made his international debut on the tour of Pakistan in December 2022, has been handed his maiden white-ball call-up. The youngster is currently featuring for the Gulf Giants in the International League T20 (ILT20).

England Lions captain for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, Tom Abell, has also received his maiden national team call-up. The right-handed batter, who was representing the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20, has played over 100 white-ball matches on the domestic circuit and franchise cricket combined. His departure from the Aiden Markram-led side has led them to rope in South Africa white-ball captain Temba Bavuma as a replacement.

Long-term injury prospect Saqib Mahmood will also mark his return after being named in the ODI squad. He suffered a back stress fracture in May 2022 after being roped in by the Oval Invincibles for the 2022 edition of The Hundred.

James Vince, who was drafted by the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has been named in the ODI squad, leading to a potential country-franchise clash. The upcoming edition of the PSL is scheduled to take place from February 13 to March 19, while the ODIs against Bangladesh are set for the first week of March.

The likes of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are absent due to injury. While several other prominent names like Harry Brook and Joe Root will not feature as they will be involved in the Test series against New Zealand, which is slated to end on February 28.

The three-match ODI series will be part of the ODI World Cup Super League, but both sides have already confirmed their berths for the showpiece event, which will be held in India later this year.

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England squad for Bangladesh tour

ODI squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

T20I squad: Jos Buttler, Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

England Men’s Tour of Bangladesh schedule

1st ODI: Bangladesh v England - March 1, Sher-e Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

2nd ODI: Bangladesh v England – March 3, Sher-e Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

3rd ODI: Bangladesh v England – March 6, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram

1st T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 9, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram

2nd T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 12, Sher-e Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

3rd T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 14, Sher-e Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

The visitors will hope to use the upcoming tour as an opportunity to understand the subcontinent conditions, with the World Cup scheduled to be held in India during the October-November window. Bangladesh, on the other hand, would be keen to extend their dominant home run, having recently defeated India by a 2-1 margin.

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