Tigers Cut Trophy Squad to 18

Bangladesh have chopped their initial 30-man shortlist for the ICC Champions Trophy to a preliminary squad of 18, with the party made up mostly of players who participated in the recent tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Mehrab Hossain jnr, a 19-year old all-rounder from Dhaka is the only newcomer, following some strong performances both domestically and for the Bangladesh A side. At home opening the batting or in the middle order, Mehrab also provides another slow bowling option with his left-arm spin.

Despite a poor run of form, Javed Omar retains his place in the squad, although the inclusion of Mehrab is a sign that the selectors’ faith in the opener is waning. Habibul Bashar, the captain, has also been included in the squad, but may yet have to have surgery on a fractured left thumb which would rule him out of the tournament.

Bangladesh will have to qualify for the Champions Trophy, to be held in India from October to November, and face a tough battle against Sri Lanka if they are to make the main group stage.

Bangladesh Squad
Habibul Bashar (Khulna, captain), Shahriar Nafees (Barisal), Rajin Saleh (Sylhet), Javed Omar (Dhaka), Aftab Ahmed (Chittagong), Khaled Mashud (Rajshahi), Alok Kapali (Sylhet), Tushar Imran (Khulna), Mushfiqur Rahim (none), Mohammad Rafique (Dhaka), Mashrafe Mortaza (Khulna), Syed Rasel (Khulna), Shahadat Hossain (Dhaka), Farhad Reza (Rajshahi), Abdur Razzak (Khulna), Saqibul Hasan (Khulna), Mehrab Hossain jnr (Dhaka).