Bangladesh’s top-order batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup 2023 on Tuesday with a hamstring injury and faces a race to be fit for the World Cup 2023 in India next month.

Najmul Hossain Shanto is the leading scorer at the Asia Cup with 89 and 104 against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan respectively to help Bangladesh into the last four.

Najmul felt some discomfort in his left hamstring during his innings against Afghanistan in Lahore on Sunday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said.

“The player had complained of hamstring pain during batting and could not field. We had an MRI scan done confirming a muscle tear,” team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said.

“As a precaution, Shanto will not take any further part in the tournament and will be returning home to start rehab and prepare for the World Cup.”

The ODI Cricket World 2023 will kick off on October 5, with defending champions England facing runners-up of the 2019 World Cup New Zealand in the curtain raiser at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Najmul Hossain Shanto is Bangladesh’s top run-scorer in 2023 across all formats with 1,078 runs, including four hundreds and five fifties.

News of his injury came a day after batsman Litton Das was declared fit to join the Asia Cup 2023 squad having recovered from a fever that forced him to miss the Asia Cup group-stage matches.

Bangladesh have also lost frontline seamer Ebadot Hossain while all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz retired hurt against Afghanistan after making a career-best 112.

Bangladesh will face Pakistan in Lahore on Wednesday in the Super Four Stage match of Asia Cup 2023.

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