DHAKA, Feb 13: Former captain Khaled Mashud has been left out of Bangladesh's 15-man squad for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Opener Mehrab Hossain Jr, batsman Tushar Imran and pacer Mohammad Sharif were also dropped while Javed Omar, Rajin Saleh and left-arm pacer Syed Rasel have been recalled.

“We have dropped Mashud for poor batting performance, though he is still the best wicket-keeper in the country,” said chief selector Faruk Ahmed.

“We think Mushfiqur Rahim is the better batsman than Mashud now.”

Mashud, Bangladesh's most capped one-day player with 126 appearances, led the country in the 2003 World Cup.

He was an integral part of the one-day squad until last December when selectors rested him for the last two matches of a five-match home series against Zimbabwe.

Rahim, 18, has taken up position behind the stumps in the last eight one-day matches and impressed selectors with his batting in the recent Zimbabwe tour that saw Bangladesh winning the series 3-1.

With Rajin and Omar recalled, Bangladesh have four specialised openers in the World Cup squad including vice captain Shahriar Nafees and rookie Tamim Iqbal.

“Both Rajin and Omar have the experience which will strengthen our batting,” Faruk Ahmed said.

Bangladesh will play in Group B in the World Cup, which also includes India, Sri Lanka and Bermuda.

Squad: Habibul Bashar (captain), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Tapash Baisya, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar.—Reuters