The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed on Monday that batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been withdrawn from the ongoing Asian Games squad. The 28-year-old, who has been battling a lingering fever, is scheduled to return to Bangladesh on September 29. The decision follows a collaborative assessment by the Bangladesh contingent’s doctor, the BCB physiotherapist, and the local medical team, who advised that the player be removed from the tournament. But he felt unwell on Monday (September 28) morning and was quickly placed under medical care.
BCB physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan provided details on Shanto’s condition, noting that the player began experiencing symptoms during his flight. While the fever has remained at a low-grade, fluctuating level for four days, it has caused significant physical weakness. Clinical evaluations, including blood tests, confirmed the presence of infectious agents in his system, although tests for COVID-19, influenza, and other viral infections returned negative results. Given the duration of the illness and the physical toll it has taken, officials concluded he would not recover in time to participate in the final, prompting his departure. His body has become quite weak, given his condition so far. We conducted blood tests for him, and the test results have come in, since today marks the fourth day. However, tests for viral infections came back negative and he tested negative for both influenza and COVID-19.
The loss of Shanto comes as the Bangladesh board seeks to avoid any health risks ahead of the crucial one-off Test match against Afghanistan, which is slated to begin on October 9. Shanto, who had recently rejoined the T20I squad after a 16-month absence, fell unwell on the morning of September 28 and was consequently sidelined from the team’s scheduled practice session. Shanto had returned to the T20I squad after a gap of nearly 16 months after being picked for the Asian Games.
In the wake of this development, captain Litton Das is preparing the squad for a quarter-final clash against Malaysia on Tuesday. Bangladesh’s training routine was hampered by adverse weather, forcing the team to move their practice to a football field. Litton expressed an intention to adopt a bowling-heavy strategy, stating, “I think the wicket favours the bowlers. We will try to play the best bowlers we have and maintain the overall team combination—five bowlers and six batsmen.”
Addressing concerns regarding potential weather disruptions, Litton emphasized that the team remains focused solely on the upcoming match. With two fixtures already abandoned on Monday, officials are mindful that further rain could impact the schedule. Should the quarter-final against Malaysia be abandoned, Bangladesh would advance to the semi-finals to face Pakistan based on their superior ICC ranking. Litton added, “For now, we are focused on tomorrow’s match. And if it is abandoned, there will be nothing we can do. As I said earlier, no one has any control over the rain. Let us play the first match and win it and then we will think about the rest.”
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