Bangladesh’s wicket-keeper batter Litton Das won’t be participating in the 2023 Asia Cup due to a viral fever. He wasn’t initially included in the squad that left for the tournament, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wanted to assess his fitness after a few days. However, since Bangladesh is scheduled to face Sri Lanka on August 31st in their opening match at the Pallekele International Stadium, the team has decided to find a replacement.
Anamul Haque, an opening batter, has taken the place of Litton in the squad. In addition to Litton’s absence, Bangladesh is missing Tamim Iqbal for the main event, although they do have the emerging Tanzid Tamim as an alternative in the top order.
Jalal Yunus, the chairman of BCB’s Cricket Operations Committee, had previously mentioned that they would choose a replacement for Litton if he couldn’t join the squad. Speaking to the Daily Star on August 27, Yunus stated, “Liton is currently battling fever. He tested negative for Dengue. If he recovers quickly, he’ll catch the next flight to Sri Lanka. But if his recovery is delayed, then we might have to consider a replacement.”
Regarding the decision to bring in Anamul Haque as the replacement player, Minhajul Abedin, the chairman of BCB’s National Selection Panel, explained, “Anamul has been performing well in domestic cricket, and we’ve been closely observing him in the Bangladesh Tigers program. He was always under our consideration. With Litton unavailable, we required a top-order batter who could also keep wicket, and Anamul was the preferred choice.”
Haque boasts a record of 41 ODIs under his belt, amassing 1254 runs at an average of 30.54 and a strike rate of 74.16. His most recent outing for Bangladesh took place during the third ODI against India in Chattogram back in December 2022.
