Bangladesh Cricket Board’s chief selector Habibul Bashar Sumon said on Monday that it was “challenging” to announce the 15-member squad for the Australia tour as the list of injured players continued to grow over the last few weeks.

Pace sensation Nahid Rana was ruled out of the Australia tour after sustaining a side strain, while fellow fast bowler, Shoriful Islam, will miss the first Test as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das will also miss the opening Test due to a calf injury.

“We actually wanted to announce the squad almost weeks ago,” Bashar said on Monday after the historic Australia tour squad was announced a day earlier.

“We have separate squads for the three formats—T20 Internationals, One Day Internationals and Tests. The Test side is probably our most settled team. They have been playing well over the last few series, and we were all very excited about this series. Not only because we are returning to Australia after a long time, but also because Australia are such a strong side in their own conditions. We felt our team was in exactly the kind of shape and preparation needed to compete against them,” he said.

“From there, when the setbacks came—especially due to injuries—it became really challenging. We had to wait until the very last moment. We kept waiting until the end, and as you all know, we had to go through a lot of different processes. We were hoping that, even if some of our key players could not play both Tests, they might at least be available for one. But in sport, you do not always have everyone available. The plans you make before a tour do not always work out the way you expect,” he added.

Despite the disappointment, Bashar said that the selectors assembled the best possible squad available, with experienced Taskin Ahmed set to spearhead the pace attack alongside Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and uncapped Musfik Hasan.

Experienced spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam complete the bowling department.

In Litton’s absence, Jaker Ali Anika returns as the backup stumper-batter alongside Amite Hasan.

“It was not only unfortunate for us but also somewhat disappointing. But it is what it is. We have selected the best possible team available under the current circumstances, and that is the squad we will take,” he said.

“Injuries are part of the game, and once a player gets injured, there is very little anyone can do about it. There is no point dwelling on it now that the squad has been announced. We have picked the best possible side from the players who are available, and I am optimistic that this team can perform well in Australia,” he added.