In his absence, opener Soumya Sarkar is set to make a comeback to the national squad. Currently featuring for Khulna in the NCL T20 competition, Soumya will now fly to the UAE to join the Bangladesh team, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) source confirmed to Cricfrenzy.
The left-hander has been in fine touch in domestic cricket, scoring 63 off 34 balls with six fours and four sixes against Rajshahi, followed by a 45-run knock off 33 deliveries with four boundaries and three maximums against Dhaka Metro.
Meanwhile, Litton is expected to need at least one-and-a-half to two weeks to recover, putting his availability for the ODI series in doubt. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter picked up the side strain during Bangladesh’s practice session on September 22, ahead of their Asia Cup clash against India.
At first, team management believed the injury was not severe, even waiting until the last moment before the India match to see if Litton could play.
However, the medical team did not clear him, ruling him out of both the India and Pakistan games. In his absence, Jaker Ali Anik captained Bangladesh in those fixtures, and he may lead again in the Afghanistan T20Is if Litton fails to regain full fitness.
Bangladesh expected to announce both their T20I and ODI squads for the Afghanistan series soon.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and other national stars currently featuring in the NCL T20s will fly to the UAE in the coming days. The T20Is are scheduled for October 2, 3, and 5 in Sharjah, followed by ODIs on October 8, 11, and 14 in Abu Dhabi.
