Mehedi Hasan to lead Bangladesh at U19 WC

Mehedi Hasan will lead the Bangladesh Under-19 side for the second time in a World Cup after he was named captain for next year's tournament. The 15-member side, which was announced on Wednesday, includes four other players - Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Saeed Sarkar, wicketkeeper Zakir Hasan and Joyraz Sheik - who will participate in their second World Cup.

Much will depend on the experience of these five players, who played in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the UAE, with the likes of Saif Hassan and Sanjit Saha having recently performed well too. The newcomers are Ariful Islam and wicketkeeper Jaker Ali, both of whom were recently tried against Zimbabwe and India.

Saleh Ahmed Shawon and Saha, along with pacer Abdul Halim and left-arm quick Mehedi Hasan Rana will comprise the core of the bowling attack.

The selectors have chosen a setup that has been doing well since 2014, winning against Sri Lanka and South Africa - both home and away - and against Zimbabwe at home. The side also competed in the tri-nation series against India and Afghanistan, where they lost to India in the final.

Bangladesh will now play a three-match Youth ODI series against West Indies U-19 in January ahead of the World Cup, where they play one of two opening-day matches, against defending champions South Africa on January 27.

Bangladesh Under-19 squad: Mehedi Hassan Miraz (capt), Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Joyraj Sheik, Pinak Ghosh, Saif Hassan, Zakir Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shafiul Hayat, Saeed Sarkar, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Abdul Halim, Sanjit Saha, Saleh Ahmed Shawon, Ariful Islam, Jaker Ali