Bangladesh today (19) dropped batsman Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah Riyad from their 14-man squad for the first Test against Australia beginning on August 27.
Mominul and Mahmudullah were part of Bangladesh's squad during their last series in Sri Lanka, though they did not play the final Test in Colombo, which Bangladesh won by four wickets to finish the two-match series 1-1.
"It was expected that Mahmudullah would not be in the squad because he did not play the final Test in Sri Lanka," chief selector Minhajul Abedin said in Dhaka while announcing the squad.
"Mominul also missed out the last Test match. In addition, the kind of statistics that we have, they indicate he is not in good form," said Minhajul.
"He scored just one fifty in the last six innings since January. Yet, he is in our plan for the future. (But) at the moment, we are preferring Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar more in his position," he said.
Shafiul Islam also returned to the side after a good show during a recent warm-up match in Chittagong when he picked up five wickets. Subashis Roy and Rubel Hossain, who were in the Test side during the Sri Lanka series, have also been omitted.
Australia cricket team arrived in the Bangladesh capital Friday (18) to play two Tests against the hosts as tight security greeted Steven Smith's men at the airport.
Bangladesh have not played a Test against Australia since Ricky Ponting's team visited the country in 2006, six years after they were granted Test status.
Australia were due to play two Tests in Bangladesh in October 2015 but the tour was cancelled over security fears after a wave of attacks by Islamist extremists in the Muslim- majority nation.
Cricket Australia agreed to reschedule the series this year only after Bangladesh promised a head-of-state style security for the visitors.
Australia are scheduled to play a warm-up match on August 22-23 before they take on Bangladesh in the first Test at Sher-e Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
The second Test will begin at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong from September 4.
Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads guilty to crossbow murders of BBC presenter’s family
A 26-YEAR-OLD man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to murdering two daughters of a BBC sports commentator and stabbing to death their mother in a crossbow attack.
Kyle Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28.
However, appearing via video link at Cambridge Crown Court in eastern England, Clifford changed his pleas.
The court heard that Clifford tied up Louise Hunt, his former partner, binding her arms and ankles with duct tape before shooting her in the chest with a crossbow at the family home last July.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons. However, Clifford denied raping Louise.
The murders took place at the family home in the commuter town of Bushey, near Watford, northwest of London.
Clifford was arrested in July following a manhunt after the bodies of the three women were discovered.
(With inputs from AFP)