DHAKA, Sept 22: Bangladesh has called up six rookies in a list of 24 probables to shore up its depleted national team for next month’s home series against New Zealand, the officials said on Monday.

The youngsters belong to the country’s cricket academy and have excelled in domestic matches over the past year, chief selector Rafiqul Alam said.

“Hopefully some of them would find a place in the main squad,” Alam added. “They are talented and have performed well against good opposition.”

The squad includes none of the 13 players who recently defected to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL), including several current or former internationals.

The selectors also recalled four experienced players — Tushar Imran, Rajin Saleh, Enamul Haq and Nafis Iqbal — who had earlier been dropped from the national team for poor performance, said Alam.

“The team is a combination of young and experienced players. And I think under the changed circumstances this is the best team we have,” Alam stated.

Probables: Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddiqui, Mohammad Ashraful, Roqibul Hassan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehrab Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Nazmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Dollar Mahmud, Nafis Iqbal, Rajin Saleh, Tushar Imran, Enamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Shamsur Rahman, Nayeem Islam, Sohrawardy Shuvo, Mahbubul Alam, Sahagir Hossain.—AFP