In a disheartening development on the inaugural day of the 2023 Asia Cup, Bangladesh’s prospects have been dampened as one of their key wicketkeeper-batsmen, Litton Das, has been sidelined for the entire duration of the tournament.

Regrettably, Litton Das will play no part in the 2023 Asia Cup due to his inability to recover from a viral fever. This unfortunate setback has led to his absence from Bangladesh’s initial match in Pallekele, Sri Lanka.

Stepping into the void left by Litton Das is 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Anamul Haque Bijoy. He will be joining the squad in Sri Lanka to take on the role. Anamul Haque Bijoy has an impressive record, having featured in 44 ODIs and amassing a total of 1254 runs, inclusive of three centuries. His most recent ODI appearance dates back to December of the preceding year, during a home series against India.

Minhajul Abedin, the Chairman of the National Selection Panel, shed light on the selection process for Anamul Haque Bijoy as a replacement, emphasizing the importance of a like-for-like substitution. He stated, “He (Anamul) has been in the runs in domestic cricket and we have continued to monitor him in the Bangladesh Tigers programme. He was always in our consideration. Due to Litton’s unavailability, we needed a top-order batter who could keep wicket and Anamul got the nod.”

Bangladesh is poised to kickstart their campaign in the Asia Cup against co-hosts Sri Lanka on August 31, hosted at Pallekele.