Bangladesh's opening batsman, Litton Das, has been ruled out of the ACC Asia Cup 2023 due to an unfortunate bout of viral fever. His absence has prompted a swift reshuffle in the Bangladesh squad, with Anamul Haque Bijoy stepping in as his replacement. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the development on Wednesday morning (August 30, 2023). The opener's inability to travel to Sri Lanka with the Tigers’ Asia Cup squad and his ongoing struggle to overcome the lingering fever have ultimately led to his withdrawal from the much-awaited competition. Litton Das Ruled out of First Match Due to Fever The National Selection Panel of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has called upon Anamul, a 30-year-old right-handed batter, to fill the void left by Litton. An experienced campaigner, Anamul boasts an impressive track record, having featured in 44 ODIs and accumulating 1254 runs, including three centuries. His latest appearance in an ODI match for Bangladesh dates back to December last year when he faced India on the field. Asia Cup 2023: Preview of Pakistan vs Nepal 1st ODI Minhajul Abedin, Chairman of BCB’s National Selection Panel, shared insights into the thought process behind Anamul’s selection. "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," Minhajul remarked. Minhajul went on to explain, "Due to Litton’s unavailability, we needed a top-order batter who could keep wicket, and Anamul got the nod." Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka on August 31 in their opening Asia Cup match in Kandy. Following that, they will travel to Pakistan to play their second Asia Cup match against Afghanistan. ICC World Cup 2023 Warm-up Schedule: Full fixture list, match timings and venues Bangladesh squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Anamul Haque Bijoy

Right-handed opener Anamul Haque Bijoy joined the individual training programme of the cricketers organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The programme was initially scheduled for eight days, which was later extended by a few more days.

The second round of the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) started on Friday as Anamul Haque Bijoy, Nurul Haque and Mahedi Hasan hit centuries for BCB South Zone, and Taskin Ahmed took five wickets for BCB North Zone.