Naeem and Mahbubul get Test call-ups

Allrounder Naeem Islam and medium-pacer Mahbubul Alam have been included in Bangladesh's 13-man squad for the home Tests against New Zealand, the first that Bangladesh will play since several of their players joined the unofficial ICL. Allrounder Mehrab Hossain jnr and medium-pacer Syed Rasel, both of whom played their last Tests during the 2007 tour of Sri Lanka, were recalled to the side.

Naeem has been rewarded for his consistent performances with the Bangladesh Academy team and his promising showings with the national side in the recent one-dayers against New Zealand. Alam was another star performer with the Academy during their tours of South Africa and Sri Lanka earlier this year and was also a part of the one-day squad against New Zealand.

Rasel, a swing bowler who has played six Tests, showed what he was capable of during Saturday's one-dayer against New Zealand: he sliced through their top order to finish with impressive figures of 3 for 23 in his ten overs.

Bangladesh are on a high after winning one ODI and giving New Zealand several anxious moments in the other two. The first of the two Tests starts in Chittagong on Friday.

Test squad: Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Rajin Saleh, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Naeem Islam, Syed Rasel, Mahbubul Alam