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Pakistan are taking on Bangladesh in the first Super 4 fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Bangladesh lost their opening game of the tournament against Sri Lanka by five wickets, while winning the next encounter against Afghanistan comprehensively by 89 runs. . On the other hand, Pakistan won their game against Nepal by 238 runs, and their clash against India was abandoned due to rain.
Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out from the remaining matches
Bangladesh will miss Najmul Hossain Shanto in their clash against Pakistan, as he was his side’s star performer in the Asia Cup’s ongoing edition. Shanto has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a hamstring injury he picked up during the match against Afghanistan, in which he played a stunning knock of 104 runs.
“The player had complained of hamstring pain during batting and could not field. We had an MRI scan done confirming a muscle tear,” said Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan in a statement.
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Shanto is currently the highest individual scorer in Asia Cup 2023. He smashed 89 and 104 against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, respectively and played a pivotal role in his side’s qualifying for the Super 4 stage.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has stated that he will be brought home for rehabilitation to get fit as soon as possible, keeping CWC 2023 in mind, beginning from October 5.
Litton Das replaces Shanto
Star batter Bangladesh Litton Das has been roped in to replace Shanto for the Super 4 fixtures. He was included in the team earlier but was excluded later on as he was suffering from viral fever. His comeback into the squad is a piece of welcome news for Bangladesh.
Skipper Shakib-Al-Hasan mentioned about Shanto’s injury at the toss and considered it a big blow.“We have one change today. Najmul Hossain Shanto misses out due to injury. Big blow as he was in good form and replacing him is Litton Das,” said Shakib.
