Litton Das recovers from viral fever; set to join Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage
Bangladesh opener Litton Das has been declared fit for the remainder of the Asia Cup 2023. He is all set to travel to Pakistan, where the team's Super Four stage is scheduled to begin soon.
Litton was initially ruled out of the tournament due to viral fever, which led to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) calling up Anamul Haque as a replacement.
With no Litton Das and Tamim Iqbal in the squad, the Shakib Al Hasan-led side have had to experiment with their opening combination in the tournament.
Bangladesh suffered a five-wicket loss in their first match of the tournament but responded in style with a mammoth win over Afghanistan in Lahore. The emphatic margin of victory gives Bangladesh a major cushion, who arguably have one foot in the Super Four stage of the tournament.
Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin confirmed that Litton will be part of the squad soon. He told AFP:
"Litton is fit now, he will travel to Pakistan tonight to join the squad."
Bangladesh tried out rookie opener Tanzid Tamim in the opening clash against Sri Lanka, but he was dismissed for a duck by Maheesh Theekshana. The team promoted Mehidy Hasan to the top of the order for the second game, who responded with his second ODI ton.
Mohammad Naim may have to make way for the returning player in the playing XI during the Super Four stage.
Litton Das has scored three fifties in 12 ODIs this year so far
Litton Das is one of the most important members in the Bangladesh squad across formats. He even moved into leadership capacity at times and will have an important role to play if Bangladesh aim to make an impression in the Asia Cup 2023 and the following ICC ODI World Cup.
Litton had a phenomenal 2022, and when it comes to ODIs, he scored 577 runs in 13 innings at an average of 52.45. He had a rocky start in 2023, scoring only seven runs in the first three innings, including two successive ducks. He has recovered well since then and now has 301 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.10.
The wicketkeeper-batter was last seen playing in the Lanka Premier League for the Galle Titans, prior to which he played the Global T20 Canada for the the Surrey Jaguars.