Bangladesh Rest Experienced Salma Khatun and Rumana Ahmed for Upcoming Sri Lanka Tour
Bangladesh Women will be without their senior players for Sri Lanka tour (Twitter)
The Bangladesh women's cricket team announced a 16-member squad on Tuesday for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, which is set to commence on April 29. Notably, the board has made a strategic decision to rest two senior players, Salma Khatun and Rumana Ahmed, as part of a planned workload management initiative led by head coach Hashan Tillakaratne.
Pacer Marufa Akter, who had been a part of the last ICC Women's T20 World Cup squad in South Africa, has also been excluded from the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. This decision was made as Akter will be appearing in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam later this month.
BCB Women’s team selector, Monjurul Islam while speaking to Cricbuzz, revealed that the decision to rest Salma Khatun and Rumana Ahmed was made in line with the head coach Hashan Tillakaratne’s plan to manage their workload.
"We have rested Salma and Rumana as per the plan of the head coach ( Hashan Tillakaratne) because he feels there is lot of cricket and we need to focus on managing their work load,”
He further added that the team has many upcoming games both at home and away, and hence, they are devising a plan to ensure the best possible performance from the senior players.
In their place, the squad includes a number of talented players, including Sanjida Akther Maghla, Fariha Islam Trishna, Rabeya, and uncapped Sultana Khatun.
According to Monjurul, the selectors are particularly excited about Sultana's potential, as they believe she has the ability to replace Salma Khatun in the long term. He highlighted the importance of having a complete package in the team's batting lineup, specifically at number six or seven, and believes that Sultana fits the bill.
"We need a [complete] package at number six or seven and Sultana looks to be fit for it. In the coming days we are expecting her to fill the gap of Salma Khatun in the team."
The Bangladesh team is scheduled to play three Women's One Day Internationals against the hosts on April 29, May 2, and May 4 at P Sara Oval in Colombo. This series will be a part of the ongoing ICC Women's Championship. It will be followed by a three-match Women's Twenty20 International series set to take place on May 9, 11, and 12 at SSC Ground in Colombo.
 "Jatin")
