Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, with the exclusion of batter Liton Das standing out as the main talking point.
While Liton's recent poor form made his omission less surprising, Bangladesh's selection trends often leave room for debate about inclusions and exclusions. This time, the selectors leaned towards youthful confidence and aggression over experience.
Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Lipu had sound logic for why Liton did not inspire much confidence ahead of squad selection. His run drought was the obvious reason; the other was that the selection panel saw the Soumya Sarkar-Tanzid Tamim pair as the likely opening combination for the tournament, starting February 19.
Since 2023, Liton's form has taken a dip and the manner of his dismissals has been quite similar. He was a big cause for optimism in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India but failed to live up to expectations. After the marquee event, Liton's ODI form deteriorated further, reaching a nadir in the last five ODIs where he managed just six runs.
The recent ODI series in the West Indies, played on flat wickets, eventually sealed Liton's fate.
"Obviously his past history was considered, but recent history was more in consideration," Lipu said yesterday, adding that opposition analysts have been increasingly successful with their plans against Liton in white-ball formats.
"In the Windies, we scored runs and crossed 300 twice. The wicket was very good, and since Liton failed there too, it was difficult to keep our confidence in him," he said.
The argument is that batting-friendly surfaces are likely to be prepared for the global tournament, and a top-order batter still struggling with form cannot provide the required start.
Curiously, Parvez Hossain Emon has been picked as a backup opener. He is yet to make his ODI debut and averages 12.57 in seven T20Is. In his last T20I, Emon got the team off to a flying start in the West Indies. It was his attacking approach that was considered.
"Maybe he doesn't have a huge contribution. But what we felt, what we were looking for, is aggressive batting in the Powerplay, which we saw in him," Lipu said of Emon.
However, the squad faces a lack of experience. With Tamim Iqbal retired and Shakib Al Hasan and Liton absent, the top order relies on individuals -- such as Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Tamim, skipper Najmul Shanto, and Tawhid Hridoy -- who are also battling form issues.
"Experience obviously has a lot of value, but our players have gathered enough confidence from A team and HP tours. When you are young, there is an advantage in being more aggressive, eager to take challenges. It can also work against them, but some excitement will be there," Lipu said.
"If you look at the team, there is huge competition," he added.
Liton, however, appeared to be regaining form in dramatic fashion in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League. Playing for Dhaka Capitals in their match against Durbar Rajshahi yesterday, Liton scored the joint-second fastest century and the quickest by a Bangladesh player in BPL history, reaching the landmark in 44 balls before ending up unbeaten on 125 off 55 balls.
He also forged BPL's highest-ever partnership and the highest-ever opening stand in T20s, combining with Tanzid Tamim (108 off 64 balls) for a colossal 241 runs, leading to a BPL record team total of 254-1.
Selector Hannan Sarkar informed The Daily Star that they will be able to make changes to the Tigers' squad in the next month. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Liton's form, if it continues, will bring him into consideration for the Champions Trophy in the end.
