The team included all the sixteen players of the victorious ACC squad and a few freshers. Besides, veteran campaigners like former national captain Minhajul Abedin and Mahbubur Rahman Selim have also been recalled due to their outstanding performances in the on-going Premier League.

Minhajul, left in the cold following the disastrous tour of New Zealand in 1997, could eventually win the selectors' vote after a hard work with the bat currently. The prolific run-getter in domestic cricket but an enigma at the highest level of the game, is the leading scorer with 385 runs among the local batsmen. His tally includes two centuries so far.

Mahbub on the other hand signalled his come back to the main fray after a long absence. A brilliant century along with a match-winning fifty for his team Kalabagan brought the right-handed batsman from the blur. He put on the national cap in the Singapore South Asian cricket championship way back in 1992. Although Mahbub was initially included in the 1994 ICC team but he was left out of the final tour party which had eventually returned home with the experience of sheer humiliation from Kenya.

Also bracketed in the list of WC probables are all-rounder Naimur Rahman, Mehrab Hossain, Sanuar Hossain, Mofizur Rahman, Manjurul Islam and Jahangir Alam.

Naimur, who got the chop after the Commonwealth Games last September, has finally got the mercy of the selectors from the unofficial disciplinary measure taken by the Board following a report of tour manager Tanvir Haider.

Wicketkeepr-batsman Jahangir Alam, one of the few Bangladeshi batsmen with a lot of knowledge of playing in English conditions, earned a lucky break. Playing at number three for Brothers Union, the gutsy stroke-maker scored 222 runs in seven matches.

The selectors have also drafted in six rookies. They are Brothers' opener Ehsanul, Mohammedan's middle-order batsman Nasirul Alam, Victoria's opener Imran Ahmed, Ajax's right-arm seamer Aminul Islam, Abahani's all-rounder Neeyamur Rashid and Mohammedan's wicketkeeper Golam Murtoza.

Of them Victoria's opener Imran Ahmed compelled the think-tank to pen him in their list with a series of solid batting display. The unheralded youngster scored a staggering 320 runs in seven matches including a century against Ajax. He also scored half-centuries against big guns like Abahani and Brothers.

Ehsanul Haque, who is also a useful off-spinner, scored 222 runs for Brothers. Aminul Islam Vola is the leading wicket-taker among the local bowlers. The intelligent medium pacer took 16 wickets so far in the league including a couple of four-wicket haul.

Neeyamr, who came with a lot of promises but lost his way in the wilderness, finally got back on the track making his willow shine consistently.

List of Thirty

Aminul Islam, Shahriar Hossain, Ehsanul Haq, Khaled Mashud, Hasanuzzaman, Javed Omar, Nasirul Alam, Al-Shahriar, Faruque Ahmed, Sanuar Hossain, Mehrab Hossain, Akram Khan, Imran Ahmed, Safiuddin Ahmed, Morshed Ali Khan, Khaled Mahmud, Naimur Rahman, Fahim Muntasir, Hasibul Hossain, Mofizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammed Rafique, Enamul Hoque, Manjurul Islam, Aminul Islam Vola, Neeyamur Rashid, Mahabubur Rahman, Minhajul Abedin, Jahangir Alam and Golam Murtoza.