Bangladesh’s Miraz called up for CPL stint

Mehedi Hasan Miraz has been drafted by the Trinbago Knight Riders of the Caribbean Premier League as the Bangladesh youngster continues making headway in world cricket rapidly.

The prodigious 19-year-old allrounder will play for the team, based in Port of Spain at Trinidad and Tobago, as a replacement for Australia’s Brad Hodge.

With the CPL set to begin around August, the schedule is likely to clash with the timings of his national duties if Bangladesh host Pakistan in that time. In that case, he may miss several matches of the domestic Twenty20 competition in the West Indies.

Miraz, who has signed up for the Mohammedan for this season’s Dhaka Premier League, is excited over the prospect of playing for an overseas franchise.

"I am really happy to have got this opportunity," espncricinfo.com quoted Mehedi as saying on Tuesday.

"I will get to play with really good cricketers in that tournament. It will improve my standard of cricket."

Miraz walks in the footsteps of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal as the third Bangladesh cricketer to join the CPL.

He burst into the scene with a 19-wicket haul in the two-match Test series against England, including a six-wicket haul on debut, in October last year. Miraz was then handed ODI and T20I caps in the Tigers latest tour of Sri Lanka.

The wily right-arm offspinner, who can also bat, bagged 15 wickets in 12 matches for the Rajshahi Kings in the last Bangladesh Premier League.

He played for the Kalabagan Cricket Academy in the last two seasons of Dhaka Premier League.