Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out of Asian Games with fever, set to fly home

Bangladesh batter withdrawn from Asian Games after fever worsens

Bangladesh batter and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has been ruled out of the ongoing Asian Games, the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed on Monday. The 28-year-old, who has been battling a persistent fever, will return home on September 29.

Cricbuzz understands that Shanto is returning as the board did not want to risk playing him ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on October 9.

"After assessment by the Bangladesh contingent doctor, BCB physiotherapist and the local medical team, it was advised that Shanto be ruled out of the Games," the BOA said in a statement.

Shanto had returned to the T20I squad after a gap of nearly 16 months after being picked for the Asian Games. But he felt unwell on Monday (September 28) morning and was quickly placed under medical care. He did not take part in the team's scheduled practice session later in the day.

Physio outlines medical picture

BCB physio Bayjedul Islam Khan gave a detailed account of the batter's condition, revealing that blood tests showed the presence of infectious agents even though viral, influenza and COVID-19 screens came back negative.

"Najmul Hossain Shanto has been suffering from a fever ever since returning from his flight. In fact, the fever started during the flight itself. Right now, the fever is still fluctuating - it is a low-grade fever. Given his condition so far, his body has become quite weak. Since today marks the fourth day, we conducted blood tests for him, and the test results have come in. There are some infectious agents present in his system," Bayjedul said in a statement.

"However, tests for viral infections came back negative and he tested negative for both influenza and COVID-19. So ultimately, since he is still suffering from fever after four days and considering the extent of weakness in his body, recovering in time before the final will be impossible. So we think that he will not be available till the final. That is why he is being sent back home," he added.

Litton Das eyes bowling-heavy balance for quarter-final

While Shanto's withdrawal is a blow, captain Litton Das believes the conditions in Japan could encourage Bangladesh to field a bowling-heavy combination when they face Malaysia in their Asian Games quarter-final on Tuesday.

Bangladesh's preparations were disrupted by rain, forcing the team to train on a football field on Monday.

"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," Litton told reporters after Monday's practice session.

The captain said the team were not looking beyond their opening match despite the possibility of further rain affecting the tournament schedule. Two matches were abandoned on Monday, and if Bangladesh's match against Malaysia is also abandoned, they would advance to the semi-final against Pakistan by virtue of their better ICC ranking.

"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," he said. "Let us play the first match and win it and then we will think about the rest."