Nayeem Hasan Named In Bangladesh Playing XI vs Afghanistan Despite Not Featuring In Squad

Nayeem Hasan during a Test match for Bangladesh (Source: AFP Photos)Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan, who was not in Bangladesh’s squad for the Afghanistan Test, was picked for their XI on Friday as the two teams faced each other at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Nayeem, who travelled to Afghanistan with Bangladesh’s squad just to play a practice match against the UAE last week, was seen in Bangladesh playing XI vs Afghanistan.Possible Reason Behind Bangladesh Picking Nayeem Hasan In Playing XIBangladesh already had Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam to spin the web around Afghanistan players. Yet, they decided to include Nayeem Hasan in Bangladesh playing XI.To clarify, Nayeem Hasan was one of the three reserves, along with Musfik Hasan and Iqbal Hossain Emon, who were in Bangladesh’s squad for the Afghanistan Test.With the bat, Nayeem showed incredible resilience against the UAE in the practice match. There, he made a 75-ball 36, which helped Bangladesh to get to 234 after they were 168/5. They, nonetheless, were 108/0 at one point.ALSO READBangladesh U19 Squad For Afghanistan Series 2026 AnnouncedAs Shoriful Islam, who has been rested for the Afghanistan Test to manage his workload, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto added a third spinner to the playing XI to join forces in Abu Dhabi.Bangladesh Playing XI Vs Afghanistan TestShadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taijul Islam, Ebadot HossainNayeem Hasan's Numbers In TestsNayeem Hasan, anyway, is a bowling all-rounder, not an out-and-out bowler. He has played 14 Tests for Bangladesh thus far. His numbers are quite impressive, having picked up 48 wickets at an average of 28.56.With the bat, Nayeem is yet to play to his full potential. He averages 13.82 , with 235 runs across 22 innings.Nayeem’s last Test match came against Sri Lanka in 2025. There, Nayeem was the joint highest wicket-taker in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Tests. He took nine wickets across three innings at an average of 26.33. Taijul Islam and Tharindu Ratnayake had the same number of wickets, but Nayeem had a better bowling average than they did.ALSO READSA vs AUS 1st Test Toss: Cooper Connolly Out As Australia Win Crucial Toss