Najmul Hossain Shanto Asian Games Withdrawal
Bangladesh have lost one of their promising players ahead of the Asian Games, with Najmul Hossain Shanto withdrawn from the tournament due to a fever. The cricketer has returned to Dhaka to recover, leaving the team to compete without their opening batter.
Najmul Hossain Shanto Asian Games Withdrawal: What Happened to the Player?
Bangladesh’s men’s and women’s cricket teams have arrived in Japan for the Asian Games, but the men’s side ran into trouble before their campaign even got underway. Key batter Najmul Hossain Shanto came down with a fever that ruled him out of the competition. Shanto reportedly felt unwell from the moment he arrived in Nagoya, with a low-grade fever that persisted for four days. Subsequent tests indicated an infection. Bangladesh team physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan said the illness had left the player feeling weak, prompting the decision to withdraw him from the Asian Games.
“Shanto has had a fever since we landed in Nagoya. It has not subsided in four days. We carried out several tests, and the results for COVID-19 and influenza came back negative, but it is clear that he has another type of infection. Playing in the Asian Games is out of the question, as the fever has left him considerably weakened. He will return home to recover,” Islam Khan said.
The Asian Games were supposed to mark Shanto’s return to T20I cricket after more than a year away from the format. Instead, he will have to wait for another opportunity to get back into international action in the 20-over game. His immediate priority is to recover in time for Bangladesh’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, which begins on October 9 in the UAE.
Najmul Hossain Shanto Asian Games Withdrawal Leaves Bangladesh in a Tough Spot
Losing a leading player just before a match is a situation no team wants to face. Nevertheless, Bangladesh had to adjust their line-up following Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Asian Games withdrawal. The tournament follows a familiar format: a group stage followed by single-match quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final to crown the Asian Games champions.
Bangladesh received a direct entry into the quarter-finals, where they were set to face Malaysia, who had topped their qualifying group. The two national sides had already met at the previous Asian Games in China a few years earlier, when Bangladesh only narrowly managed to see off the Malaysian challenge. This latest encounter offered Malaysia a chance to go one better, but the weather had other ideas.
All the men’s cricket quarter-finals were washed out. As a result, Shanto’s absence had no bearing on Bangladesh’s progress at that stage. Bangladesh advanced to the semi-finals thanks to their higher ICC ranking, eighth compared with Malaysia’s 25th, with the current rankings used to determine which teams progressed when matches could not be played.
Bangladesh was drawn against Pakistan in the semi-finals. That match has since taken place, and this time the weather did not spring any surprises: Bangladesh lost by six wickets. However, having reached the last four, they still have a chance to come away from the Asian Games with a bronze medal. To do so, they will need to beat Sri Lanka.
