Bangladesh’s Asia Cup 2023 campaign suffered a huge blow as their top batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Shanto was plagued with a left hamstring discomfort during his knock of 104 against Afghanistan in Lahore on Sunday.
“An MRI the next day confirmed a muscle tear and Najmul Hossain Shanto was advised to rest by the BCB medical team to preserve him for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is just a month away,” International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.
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“The player had complained of hamstring pain during batting and could not field. We had an MRI scan done confirming a muscle tear,” National Team Physio Bayjedul Islam Khan was quoted as saying by ICC.
“As a precaution, Najmul Hossain Shanto will not take any further part in the tournament and will be returning home to start rehab and prepare for the World Cup,” he added. No replacement has been announced yet. However, the return of Litton Das after recovering from a fever will be a huge boost to the team.
Bangladesh has had mixed results in the Asia Cup so far. They began their campaign with a loss to Sri Lanka, but quickly rebounded with an 89-run victory over Afghanistan. Najmul Hossain Shanto has been Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer in the competition. He was the leading scorer in the first game, scoring 89 against Sri Lanka to give his team something to bowl at. He then batted brilliantly against Afghanistan, propelling Bangladesh to their third-highest total in Men’s One-Day Internationals.
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