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A prolonged slump in form, featuring a string of similar dismissals resulting in a failure to stay longer at the crease in important moments, were the main reasons behind Litton Das being excluded from the Bangladesh squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced the squad with Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Litton being overlooked. While the omission of Shakib and Tamim was anticipated, Litton’s exclusion raised many eyebrows.
Despite his poor show in the middle, Litton is perceived as a talented batter who can change the game at any time— it was the main theme to keep Litton in the team for a long time.
But in his 14 innings, he failed to score even a single fifty, which proved his prolonged lean display with the bat.
“Liton is out of form,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chief selector of Bangladesh, said Sunday after announcing the squad.
“His dismissal patterns are quite similar. He isn’t capitalizing on the powerplay in white-ball cricket. He’s not staying at the crease. He has been exposed. Opposition team analysts are becoming very successful against Liton. We still gave him opportunities. But the level of trust is not there at the moment,” Gazi Ashraf added.
In his last seven innings for Bangladesh, Litton failed to reach a double-digit figure, which is unusual for a batter of his caliber. Besides his poor form, the chief selector also cited the availability of strong alternatives as a reason for Liton’s exclusion.
“Soumya (Sarkar) and (Tanzid Hasan) Tamim are performing well as an opening pair,” Gazi Ashraf explained. “They will probably open the innings. So, there is no place for Litton in the first XI. There is no doubt about his class. If we can work on getting him out of this form slump, we can bring him back strongly. Our experts will have the opportunity to work with him during this time.”
In their first match in the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh will take on India, against whom, Litton smashed a ton in the last Asia Cup. But that history is helping little to keep confidence in the batter.
“We crossed 300 in two matches (vs West Indies). The wickets were very good there. Even there, he (Liton) failed, making it difficult to maintain confidence in him,” Gazi Ashraf said. “We will play in Pindi. It's a very good batting wicket. New Zealand lost even after scoring 336. The top order scored the runs. That means runs have to come from the top. So, we can’t take anyone who is out of form.”
A total of eight teams are participating in this year’s Champions Trophy with four teams in each Group A and B. Group A, Bangladesh will compete against India, Pakistan and New Zealand. In Group B, Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa will lock horns against each other.
In their first match, Bangladesh will face 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.