Other than Litton and Shakib, Bangladesh have also left out Afif Hossain, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is among several returnees to the squad, alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy and Mustafizur Rahman. Shanto missed the West Indies tour in November last year due to a hamstring injury.
Bangladesh’s chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said of Litton’s exclusion: “Litton is out of form. He is getting out in a similar pattern. He is unable to take advantage of the powerplay in the white-ball format. He is unable to last at the crease. He is getting exposed. Opposition analysts are getting too successful against Litton. We gave him chances but there isn’t much trust left.
Ashraf said that they want Litton to take steps to work his way back into form. “Soumya [Sarkar] and [Tanzid Hasan] Tamim are most likely to open the innings, so Litton is unlikely to hold a place in the XI. There’s no doubting his class though. I think we can get him out of his form crisis quite well. We have experts to work with him during this time.”
Bangladesh squad for Champions Trophy
Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.
