Mohammad Ashraful has been omitted from the Bangladesh squad to face England in the first Test in Chittagong on Friday.

Ashraful opted out of the one-day international series earlier in the tour after a run of poor form but had stated his intention to play his way into the Test XI.

The former captain is considered one of the Tigers’ most gifted batsmen but has struggled to cope with the weight of expectation.

He was handed the captaincy of Bangladesh A for the three-day warm-up against the tourists in the hope that a big score would restore his confidence.

But he made just 31 in two innings, with Junaid Siddique selected instead.

Bangladesh have also included three left-arm spinners in their 14-strong squad after Kevin Pietersen’s well-documented recent struggles against such bowlers.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan is supported by Abdur Razzak, who twice accounted for Pietersen in the ODI series, and Enamul Haque Jr.

Bangladesh squad for first Test: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Roqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Enamul Haque Jr, Shahadat Hossain. Cricket365.com