Bangladesh sweat over Das fitness

Bangladesh face an anxious wait over the availability of captain Litton Das, who picked up a back strain during training ahead of their Super Four showdown with India in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old experienced discomfort on the left side of his waist while attempting a square cut in the nets at the ICC Academy on September 22. He was immediately assessed by team physio Bayzid ul Islam and withdrew from the session.

A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official confirmed that a medical assessment would determine his participation.

“We will have a look at him (Litton) today because from outside he looks quite okay, but we need to conduct a medical assessment before making a final call,” the official said.

Although Litton did not appear in significant pain after the incident, his absence would be a major blow to Bangladesh, who have not named a vice-captain for the tournament — leaving a leadership vacuum should he be ruled out.

Bangladesh opened their Super Four campaign with a morale-boosting victory over Sri Lanka, chasing down 169 with a ball to spare. Saif Hassan (61 off 45) and Towhid Hridoy (58 off 37) were the stars of the chase, guiding the Tigers to a six-wicket win.

Elsewhere in the Super Four stage, Pakistan face Sri Lanka on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, before Bangladesh return to action against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday. Sri Lanka will complete their fixtures against India at the same venue on Friday.

Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup 2025: Litton Das (c & wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin.