Bangladesh will host England in the two Test match series starting from tomorrow, but they will go into the first game without their middle-order batsman, Raqibul Hasan. 21-year old Hasan, announced his shock retirement from international cricket, due to what some people believe as a rift between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the player.

According to some of the insiders, Hasan was not the first choice for a Test place for this series against England. In fact, he was not a part of the ODIs either and had not been chosen in the 30-member, preliminary squad from where the final 15 to feature in the ICC World T20 would be selected. This, apparently, had caused the fall-out between Hasan and BCB.

For the Bangladesh side, despite the shock, it was business as usual, as they replaced Hasan with Jahurul Islam in their side. Islam may not make it to the playing eleven, but what is pertinent to note is that Mohammad Ashraful, former Bangladesh skipper was not chosen even after Hasan’s departure; clearly displaying what the selectors perceive as how badly things have gone wrong with Ashraful’s batting.

Graham Onions will also miss out on the series with a back injury and will fly back home on Friday.

England go into the series as favourites against a side that is ranked number nine in the Test match rankings. Sky Bet offers 8/11 for them to sweep the series 2-0, while Blue Square offers 3/1 for a 1-0 win. For Bangladesh to win the series, they will have to defy history, but if they do manage to win 1-0, Totesport offers 16/1. A 0-0 is equally less probable, as Ladbrokes offers 16/1 for it to happen.