Soumya Sarkar is the recall nobody saw coming, brought back into Bangladesh’s Test squad more than five years after his last appearance for the tour of Australia. The 33-year-old last played a Test in February 2021, scoring 0 and 13 against West Indies, yet selectors have picked him for the pace and bounce he will find in Darwin. He is one of five changes to the squad that faced Zimbabwe, with Litton Das, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam all missing through injury before Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in 23 years.
Soumya Sarkar Returns After Long Exile
Sarkar’s absence from Test cricket has stretched to five years and five months, a gap that began with a quiet call-up dropped after two failures in Mirpur. His only previous century, 149 against New Zealand in Hamilton built on a 235-run stand with Mahmudullah, remains the highlight of a Test career that reads 16 matches, 831 runs and an average of 28. It is a modest return for a player once seen as one of Bangladesh’s most naturally gifted strokemakers.
He has stayed busy without red-ball cricket being the priority, playing first-class cricket in Bogra as recently as December and List A cricket in Rajshahi in February. He was even in Bangladesh’s ODI XI against Australia in Mirpur in June, though he managed only 2 runs that day, so this recall leans on reputation and conditions rather than current red-ball form.
Bangladesh vs Australia Test Soumya Sarkar Recall
Selectors have been blunt about the thinking behind the decision. No other specialist batter in the squad has played more than eight international matches on Australian soil, and Sarkar’s experience and attacking method are viewed as assets on the faster, bouncier surfaces expected in Darwin and Mackay. He is a left-handed batting all-rounder who can also bowl medium pace, adding an option Bangladesh’s top order otherwise lacks.
The full 15-man squad for the first Test features Najmul Hossain Shanto as captain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, restored as vice-captain after being rested for the Zimbabwe Test. Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Mominul Haque Showrab complete the specialist batting group, while Mushfiqur Rahim, Amite Hasan and a recalled Jaker Ali Anik cover the wicketkeeping duties. Taijul Islam anchors the spin attack, and uncapped seamer Musfik Hasan, with 57 first-class wickets at 22.82, earns a maiden call-up.
Litton Das and the Pace Attack Injuries
Litton Das will miss the series opener with a left calf injury picked up during the Australia ODI series in June, having since travelled to Singapore for platelet-rich plasma treatment on the muscle. He resumes running in late July with a fitness test around the first Test, and a positive result could see him return in Mackay, with Jaker Ali Anik covering as primary gloveman until then.
The pace attack has been hit hardest. Nahid Rana, the leading wicket-taker of any bowler in 2026 with 44 international scalps at an average of 18.31, suffered a grade two side strain against Zimbabwe and faces six to eight weeks out, ruling him out of both Tests entirely. Shoriful Islam’s grade one hamstring injury from the same tour leaves him targeting a return in Mackay rather than Darwin, while Taskin Ahmed steps in to lead the attack after his own rest against Zimbabwe.
Squad Depth and What Comes Next
Bangladesh’s selectors leaned heavily on players who delivered in a 2-0 series win over Pakistan back in May, when Rana, Shoriful, Litton, Taskin and Mehidy all played central roles, which makes the current injury list sting all the more given how well that group had clicked together on home soil. Mustafizur Rahman is targeting a mid-August comeback from his own hamstring and calf issues picked up at the Hundred, though he was never part of this squad.
This is uncharted territory for a Bangladesh side that has not toured Australia for a Test series in 23 years, and the Bangladesh vs Australia Test Soumya Sarkar recall storyline will only grow louder if the experienced left-hander delivers in Darwin’s pace and bounce. Mahmudul Hasan Joy makes way after four single-digit scores in his last six innings, leaving Sarkar and the returning trio of Mehidy, Taskin and Jaker Ali carrying most of the selectors’ faith.