Follow UsBangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been ruled out of the remainder of Asia Cup 2023 due to a hamstring injury. He is believed to have sustained the injury during his century against Afghanistan on Sunday (September 3). Litton Das, who was named in the original squad due to his bout with illness, has been flown into Lahore, where he has already linked up with his teammates.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said that Shanto will be flown back home, where he will begin his rehabilitation to have him fit for the World Cup, starting October 5. After scoring his century against Afghanistan, Shanto did not take the field due to the injury.
"The player had complained of hamstring pain during batting and could not field. We had an MRI scan done confirming a muscle tear," Bayjedul Islam Khan, the team physio, said in a statement.
"As a precaution, Shanto will not take any further part in the tournament and will be returning home to start rehab and prepare for the World Cup."
Shanto made an impact in both the matches for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He started with a brilliant 89 against Sri Lanka and then followed it up with 104 against Afghanistan to book his team's place in the Super Fours.
It will be interesting to see if Litton will open for Bangladesh or bat at three or four, where Shanto had batted in the two games. We could certainly expect some sort of tweak in the top-order.