Najmul Hossain Shanto Ruled Out Of Asian Games Ahead Of Quarterfinals

Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out of Asian Games 2026 [Source: AFP]Bangladesh's cricket contingent at the Asian Games 2026 faced another jolt a day ahead of their quarterfinal clash against Malaysia. Senior batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been ruled out of the tournament, as his long-awaited T20 comeback has now been put on hold.Shanto is not the first player from Bangladesh’s original squad to miss the competition, after pace bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin was already replaced due to an injury in the lead-up to their opening match.Why is Najmul Hossain Shanto missing the Asian Games?According to the latest reports from the Bangladesh camp, the 28-year-old middle-order batter felt sick over the weekend and missed team training on Monday morning, with just over 24 hours to go before their knockout clash against Malaysia.Shanto was checked by the BCB physiotherapist, the local medical team in Japan, as well as the Bangladesh contingent doctors before being deemed unfit to play.“So far, the fever has been fluctuating, but it has remained low-grade. After four days of fever, his body has become quite weak. We conducted blood tests today, and the reports have also come back,” said the team physio, Bayjedul Islam.“There are some infectious agents present in his body, but the viral tests that were carried out came back negative. The influenza test was negative, and the Covid test was also negative.”Furthermore, the physio revealed that Shanto has developed significant weakness after four days of fever and recovery in time is close to impossible.Also Read: BPL Shut Down As Bangladesh Cricket Board Announces D3 Trophy With 6 Icon PlayersShanto T20I return delayed despite being in formCriterionSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableBPL 2026SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAll international cricketSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableInningsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table13SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table21SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRunsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table355SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table767SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAvg/SRSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table29.58/135.49SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table40.36/64.61SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableHighestSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table101*SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table105SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table50/100SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table1/1SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table4/2SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table(Najmul Hossain Shanto in 2026)Having last featured in a T20I for Bangladesh in May 2025, the left-hand batter has remained on the sidelines of the national team in the shortest format. Till that point, he was also their captain across formats.However, since the start of 2026, Shanto has been in exemplary touch. Firstly, leading the Rajshahi Warriors to the Bangladesh Premier League 2026 title, whilst being among the top-5 run-getters. His 355 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.49 were only 40 runs behind the tournament’s highest scorer, Parvez Hossain Emon (395).Additionally, in just 21 innings, he is also Bangladesh’s second-highest run-scorer across formats in 2026, also helping Bangladesh thump Pakistan and Australia in Tests.He was expected to return to the T20Is after about 18 months, but this illness means he will need to wait till December to potentially play a T20I.Who will replace Shanto in Asian Games?As things stand ahead of Bangladesh's quarterfinal clash on Tuesday, Shanto was not a sureshot starter, considering he was out of the T20I setup for a long time.The team have a settled middle-order, led by Towhid Hridoy, Parvez Hossain Emon and Litton Das. Hence, it is unlikely that Shanto's replacement is roped in before the opening match.The official information regarding a potential replacement is waited and the replacement player will likely be flown in ahead of a potential semifinal.Also Read: Gujarat Giants WPL 2027 Full List of Retentions, Released Players Ahead Of Auction