Uncapped all-rounder Mohammad Sohrawordhi has been called up but pace bowlers Nazmul Hossain and Shahadat Hossain, who played in the recent New Zealand tour, were not in the squad.
Ashraful has failed to hit a half-century in his last 13 international innings and wanted a break, chief selector Rafiqul Alam said in a statement.
“Ashraful himself wanted a break and we also felt that the pressure on him had increased to the extent that his confidence was suffering. We believe that a gap from international cricket would be beneficial for him and he will come back strongly soon and do justice to his calibre,” Alam said.
A good performance in the on-going first class competition opened the door for former Bangladesh Under-19 captain Sohrawordhi, who made 191 runs at 31.83 and claimed 21 wickets in five matches.
“He is a very capable cricketer and has been in the team as a specialist left-arm spinner. He can also be a more than handy batsman in the middle and lower order and is a top fielder also,” said Alam.
The series begins with a day-night match in Dhaka on Sunday.
Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (vice-captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Zunaed Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam and Mohammad Sohrawordhi.
