Bashar retains B’desh captaincy

Habibul Bashar has been retained to lead Bangladesh in the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament. Bashar fractured the fifth metacarpel on his left hand during a one-day international against Zimbabwe in July, but the selectors have now confirmed that he will be included in the squad as captain.

Bashar missed the last Champions Trophy (2004) due to a broken thumb, and has stated that his condition will not be confirmed until he begins batting once more from mid-September.

The Bangladesh selectors have not yet confirmed the 14-man party, but have indicated that they are close to a final decision. Some reports suggest that opener Javed Omar, Alok Kapali, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tushar Imran are among those likely to be excluded.

Uncapped Mehrab Hossain is tipped to be selected. In 18 list-A one-day matches, the 19-year-old opener has scored 557 runs at an average of 39.78.

Bangladesh will start the Champions Trophy in the qualifying stage alongside Zimbabwe, West Indies and Sri Lanka. They play their first game against Sri Lanka on October 7.