Bangladesh on Saturday called up uncapped all-rounder Mahedi Hasan and pace bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam in their 18-man squad for the three-match one-day international series against West Indies.

The series, which begins with the first match in Dhaka on 20 January, marks the return of international cricket to Bangladesh after a Covid-19 disruption.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said they announced a relatively large squad as a precaution, with the series being held under strict health protocols.

"We took several extra players because we are facing a pandemic now. You cannot add a player to the squad anytime in this kind of situation," he said.

"Our three uncapped players Mahedi, Hasan and Shoriful have all did well in domestic cricket recently. We included them because we thought it's also a time for us to look for the future," he added.

The series is also Bangladesh's first since pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza stepped down as captain in March.

Mashrafe was left out of the preliminary squad for the series in Bangladesh's first indication of a new beginning under opener Tamim Iqbal, who was named captain in March but has yet to assume his role.

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also returned to the Bangladesh squad after serving out his one-year ban for failure to report multiple corrupt approaches.

Taskin Ahmed was recalled in a pace heavy squad, which also included Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.

The second and third ODIs of the series will be on 22 and 25 January, respectively in Dhaka and Chittagong.

West Indies will also play two Test matches against the hosts during their tour.

Bangladesh ODI squad:

Tamim Iqbal (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mahmud Ullah, Riyad Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hassan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam.

Source: News24