DHAKA, Aug 28: All-rounder Mehrab Hossain Jr is the only new face in Bangladesh's 18-member preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy to be played in India this October and November.

Mehrab, currently captaining the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy team in its tour of Pakistan, visited Zimbabwe as part of the Bangladesh ‘A’ squad in June this year and his performances in both the convinced the selectors to pick him the squad for the Champions Trophy.

“He is basically an opener who can also bat in the middle-order. But if he finally gets the nod he will definitely be considered as an opener,” Faruque Ahmed, the chairman of the selection panel said on Monday.

Habibul Bashar, Bangladesh's captain, was also been included in the squad though he is currently recovering from a fractured thumb.

The BCB also announced a seven-member squad for the Asian Super Sixes Challenge to be held in Karachi from Sept 13 to 18. Nazmus Sadat, the left-hand opener, is the only new face in this squad.

Champions Trophy preliminary squad: Habibul Bashar, Shahriar Nafees, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful, Khaled Mashud, Alok Kapali, Tushar Imran, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafee Bin Mortuza, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Forhad Reza, Abdur Razzak, Sakib Al Hasan, Mehrab Hossain.