DHAKA, Dec 6: Bangladesh have recalled two pacemen in a 13-man squad for two-Test home cricket series against India which gets under way in Dhaka on Thursday. Included were Talha Zubair, absent from the team for 20 months, and Mashrafe bin Mortaza, who suffered a knee injury against England in November 2003.

Bangladesh played their first and only Test against India in Nov 2000 in Dhaka, losing by nine wickets. The most notable absentee is Alok Kapali, who struggled with bat and ball in recent defeats by New Zealand.

BANGLADESH SQUAD: Habibul Bashar (captain), Khaled Mashud, Nafis Iqbal, Javed Omar, Mohammed Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammed Rafique, Tapash Baishya, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Talha Zubair, Manjurul Islam Rana. -PPI