Bangladesh have handed uncapped opener Mahfijul Islam a maiden Test call-up for the two-match series in South Africa, rewarding a prolific domestic season in which he has scored 672 runs at an average of 74.67. The 22-year-old was named in a 16-member squad announced on 9 November, with the first Test starting in Johannesburg on 15 November.

Mahfijul, known as Robin, is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing National Cricket League first-class competition, where he has struck three centuries, including a double-century, in five matches for Mymensingh Division. He will travel as a right-handed opening option in a squad otherwise largely unchanged from the side currently facing West Indies at home.

Why Mahfijul earned the call-up

Chief selector Habibul Bashar said Bangladesh had been looking for a right-handed opener for some time, and that Mahfijul had proven himself in first-class cricket and in emerging-team matches. "We brought in [Mahfijul] Robin because we felt it was crucial to have a right-handed opener," Bashar said after announcing the squad, as ESPNcricinfo reported.

Bashar added that another opener, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, had been in line to travel but was ruled out the previous afternoon for medical reasons, which delayed the announcement. Mahfijul has also impressed beyond the domestic league: he scored 112 runs in four innings, including a half-century, on Bangladesh Emerging team's tour of South Africa in August. Overall, he has scored more than 1,000 runs in 19 first-class appearances at an average of 33.67, according to the ICC.

Naim recalled after four years

Mohammad Naim has also earned a recall after a gap of more than four years. The 27-year-old has played a solitary Test, against New Zealand in 2022, alongside nine one-day internationals and 38 Twenty20 internationals. He has scored 612 runs from seven innings in the National Cricket League this season, including a double-century and two other centuries, making him the joint-second-highest run-getter in the competition.

Naim's return is a direct result of injury. Regular opener Shadman Islam was ruled out after suffering an ankle injury while fielding on the first day of the Sylhet Test against West Indies, and was stretchered off the field. Shadman would otherwise have been a certain selection after scoring a century in the first Test in Dhaka.

Changes to the bowling attack

Pace bowler Khaled Ahmed returns to the squad in place of offspinner Nayeem Hasan, with the selectors expecting pace-friendly conditions in South Africa. Soumya Sarkar, who was part of the Test squad for the recent tours of Australia and the United Arab Emirates without making the XI on either trip, has been dropped.

Bangladesh remain without fast bowler Nahid Rana, who is continuing his recovery from a side strain in Perth, where he has seen a specialist and is training with a local side. Bashar said Rana had bowled at 90 per cent intensity in Australia and was optimistic about a quick return, but he is definitely ruled out of the Test series and is unlikely to feature in the one-day internationals either, although he could be fit for the Twenty20 games.

The rest of the pace attack is intact, with Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed all named and expected to do the heavy lifting in conditions that should help them.

Hridoy's form and Mominul's return

Towhid Hridoy travels to South Africa in remarkable form. He recently scored an unbeaten 350 in an 'A' game there, the highest first-class score by an overseas batter in South Africa, and has since scored 242 not out against West Indies, Bangladesh's highest individual score in Test cricket.

Mominul Haque returns after missing the second Test against West Indies under the mandatory seven-day concussion protocol, having suffered a head injury in the first match of that series.

Bangladesh squad and series schedule

The full squad is: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vice-captain), Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed and Mahfijul Islam.

The two-Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship, in which Bangladesh currently sit fifth in the standings and trail West Indies 1-0 in their home series. The first Test against South Africa runs from 15 to 19 November in Johannesburg, followed by the second Test from 23 to 27 November in Centurion. Bangladesh will also play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals on the tour.

For Mahfijul, the trip is a first step onto the Test stage. Whether he makes his debut in Johannesburg will depend on the team balance, but his domestic numbers have already done the talking.