SPORTS REPORTER

Pacer Ebadot Hossain returned to the national side for the first time in almost two years while Najmul Hossain Shanto was retained as Test captain for another year as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 16-member squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka this month.

Ebadot suffered an ACL injury during an ODI series against Afghanistan in July 2023. He went under the knife and then endured a lengthy rehabilitation process before finally returning to action in November last year in the National Cricket League.

Alongside Ebadot, Hasan Murad, Nahid Rana and Liton Das returned to the Test side, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanzim Sakib and Tanvir Islam, who were part of the Bangladesh squad for their second Test against Zimbabwe last month, were dropped.

The series marks the start of the 2025-27 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be played in Galle from June 17. The second match will commence in Colombo on June 25.