Due to a hamstring injury, wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das will not play in the remaining two ODIs against Zimbabwe, which is a significant blow for Bangladesh.
Litton Das was anticipated to make a comeback later in the series after missing the first ODI on July 6 due to the injury. The right-handed hitter will continue his rehabilitation in Dhaka, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which has officially confirmed that he did not recover in time.
Bangladesh, who are trailing 0-1 in the three-match series following an unexpected loss in the first ODI, would be severely hurt by his absence.
The BCB has selected left-handed opener Parvez Hossain Emon to take Litton Das place in the second and third ODIs, which are set to take place in Harare on July 9 and July 11.
After passing a fitness evaluation, Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan gave an update on Litton’s fitness, stating that the batter was still not prepared to resume competitive activity. “Litton Das had already missed the first ODI and is still not match fit.”
The results of the fitness test he took today were unsatisfactory. “We don’t think he will make enough progress to play any part in the series with back-to-back ODIs coming up,” Bangladeshi physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan was cited by Cricinfo.
In order to maintain the three-match series, Bangladesh will now need to win the second ODI in Harare on Thursday. If the visitors won, a decider in the final ODI on July 11 would be set up, but a loss would give Zimbabwe the series.
The visitors’ historic ODI series victory against Australia gave them a lot of confidence going into this series. In a three-match series, they defeated the Kangaroos 2-1, winning their first-ever ODI series against Australia. As of right now, the ICC ODI team rankings place them eighth.
