Shakib Al Hasan returns as Bangladesh name preliminary squad for West Indies series

World No.1 ODI all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will likely return to the international arena in the series against West Indies. The former Bangladesh skipper is present in the side's preliminary squad for their upcoming home series.

The Bangladesh cricket board publicized the preliminary squads for the BAN v WI series in a media release on Monday (January 4). While Shakib Al Hasan made his return, former captain Mashrafe Mortaza did not find a place in the ODI squad.

Shakib Al Hasan had been away from international cricket for quite some time. His last international appearance for the Bangladesh cricket team came in a T20I against Afghanistan in September 2019.

The International Cricket Council had suspended him for a year after he failed to report a corrupt approach from a bookie.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announces the preliminary ODI and Test squads for @windiescricket Tour of Bangladesh 2021.https://t.co/ueu29gzvIa

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) January 4, 2021

Shakib Al Hasan will most probably make it to the final squad for the West Indies series. His return will bolster the Bangladesh cricket team's chances of winning the ODIs and Tests.

Unfortunately, West Indies will not have a full-strength squad as Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, and several other big names have opted out of the tour.

Shakib Al Hasan present in the Top 5 of the all-rounders' rankings despite a long break

Although Shakib Al Hasan has not played a single international game in the last 15 months, he still remains in the Top 5 of the ICC Rankings for all-rounders.

At the moment, Shakib is in the number one position in the ODIs, while he is placed fourth in the Test Rankings. Only Mohammad Nabi is above him in the ICC T20I Rankings.

Here are Bangladesh's preliminary squads for the ODI and Test series against West Indies.

Preliminary Bangladesh Squad for ODI Series vs. West Indies: Tamim Iqbal Khan, Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Al Amin Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Md. Shoriful Islam, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Nasum Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Parvez Hossain Emon, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Mahadi Hasan, Naim Sheikh, Rubel Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Hasan Mahmud, Md Mithun, Saif Uddin, Liton Kumer Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Md Mahmud Ullah, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Taijul Islam,.

Preliminary Bangladesh Squad for Test Series vs. West Indies: Momimul Haque Showrab, Taskin Ahmed, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shadman Islam, Mohammed Saif Hasan, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Md Mithun, Taijul Islam, Liton Kumer Das, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan.

.@Sah75official scored the highest knock of 66 for Bangladesh in ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2014 against Australia at Dhaka.#WorldCupRewind pic.twitter.com/u2He2yNjmr

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) January 4, 2021