No place for Liton as Bangladesh announce squad for Champions Trophy

 
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy taking place next month in the UAE and Pakistan.

Bangladesh will miss the service of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto earlier expressed his desire to have both of these players in the fold, but due to different circumstances, they are out of the Bangladesh team.

Tamim recently confirmed his retirement from international cricket and said he is not making a comeback anymore for Bangladesh.

Shakib meanwhile is ineligible to bowl in international cricket as his bowling was reported illegal by the ECB, a subsequent bowling test also revealed that Shakib's bowling is not legal, making him unavailable for Bangladesh as a bowler.

BCB also confirmed that Shakib can only play as a batter, but the selectors decided to keep him out.

Bangladesh also overlooked wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das. The off-form batter has been struggling with his form for a while now.

Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu clarified the reasoning behind their exclusion during a press conference on Sunday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Shakib, who has been struggling with his bowling action, was deemed ineligible to play as an all-rounder. His bowling action has been under scrutiny since the English County Championship last year, where it was reported as suspect.

Subsequent tests at a Birmingham lab confirmed irregularities, resulting in a ban from bowling by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). In December, a second test conducted in Chennai showed no improvement, leaving Shakib only eligible to play as a batter.

"Shakib is in the process of addressing the issues with his bowling action," Lipu explained. "As his test results remain negative, he can only contribute as a batsman. When structuring the squad, we couldn't justify including him solely as a batter."

"Litton's struggles have been evident," Lipu said. "As a batter, he has consistently failed to capitalise on the powerplay, often exposing the No. 3 position too early. We trusted him and gave him many chances, even after dropping him during the series-deciding match against Sri Lanka. However, at the moment, we can no longer justify his inclusion."."

Lipu also confirmed that Soumya Sarkar and Tanzid Hasan Tamim would form the opening pair for the Champions Trophy.

"There's no doubt about Litton's class and ability, but his current form and repeated patterns of dismissal make it clear he needs time away from the team to work on his weaknesses," Lipu added. "This isn't the end for him. He has a lot of cricket ahead, and we are confident he can make a strong comeback after addressing these issues."

The Champions Trophy, set to begin on 20 February. In their first match, Bangladesh will take on India on February 20th in Dubai. In the second match, Bangladesh will face New Zealand in Rawalpindi on February 24, and in the third and final match in the group stage, Bangladesh will lock horns with Pakistan in Rawalpindi on February 27th.

Bangladesh squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Somuya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain Emon, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.