Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan’s Absence a Challenge for Bangladesh in Champions Trophy, Says Head Coach Phil Simmons

With just 10 days remaining for the ICC Champions Trophy to begin, Bangladesh is gearing up for the tournament, but it will be without two of its star players – Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan.

Liton Das is notably absent from the squad, and while Phil Simmons, the Bangladesh head coach, expressed that he will miss Litton’s presence, he chose not to comment on the absence of Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib, due to his bowling action issues, is currently banned from bowling in international cricket and thus has been excluded from the squad. He has been out of the team for a while now due to his faulty bowling action.

Simmons, however, remains confident about Bangladesh's performance in the Champions Trophy. Despite missing players like Shakib, who is considered a legend of the game, Simmons is optimistic that the team will perform well, even aiming for the title. He believes that Shakib’s absence could have an impact, but the team remains focused on their goal.

When asked if Shakib would have been included in the squad had his bowling ban not been in place, Simmons humorously responded, “I can’t answer that question.”

Shakib has failed to pass his bowling action tests twice, and with the ban still in place, he could only have been considered for the squad as a batsman. However, the management decided against taking the risk of playing Shakib as just a batsman, and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the Champions Trophy squad without him.

While the coach refrained from discussing Shakib, he did talk about Litton Das. Simmons expressed that he will certainly miss Liton in the tournament, but added that Liton has accepted the situation and is working hard to make a comeback.

Simmons said, “I’ve spoken to him. I think he’ll take not being in the squad as a challenge. He’s working on his batting, and I saw him perform well in the BPL. He’s the type of player who will be missed. However, we all know that he’s not been getting the runs, and that’s why he’s out of the team. I know he’s working hard to bounce back.”

The absence of both players is surely a setback for Bangladesh, but the team and their coach remain hopeful as they head into the Champions Trophy.