Bangladesh’s national selector has confirmed that Liton Das will need a few more days to return to the field, making his participation in the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies highly unlikely.
With just three days left before the series begins, Liton still hasn’t resumed batting practice. That paints a clear picture — the experienced batter is unlikely to feature in the ODIs against the West Indies. National selector Hasibul Hossain said that Liton will need a bit more time before he’s match-ready.
Liton sustained an injury during training ahead of Bangladesh’s Asia Cup match against India. The setback ruled him out of both the T20I and ODI series against Afghanistan. Since returning home from the UAE, the T20I captain has been undergoing rehabilitation, which is still ongoing.
According to several sources, Liton underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday to assess the progress of his recovery.
BCB’s chief physician, Debashis Chowdhury, shared the latest update on Liton’s rehabilitation process with bdnews24.com.
“Liton’s muscle injury has healed. An MRI will be done again — it’s part of the regular process to check how the rehabilitation is progressing,” he said.
“Perhaps tomorrow we’ll submit a report to the selectors about him. Liton hasn’t started batting yet. He’s done a few running sessions and will continue with a few more before the fitness trainer submits his report. We’ll also have to review the MRI results,” he added.
The three-match ODI series against the West Indies begins on Saturday, with Bangladesh’s squad expected to be announced on Thursday. National selector Hasibul Hossain spoke to bdnews24.com about Liton’s chances of being included.
“Liton went for an MRI today (Tuesday). Once the report comes in, the doctors will brief us in detail. Only then will a decision be made. Liton hasn’t started batting yet; his rehab is still ongoing. It will probably take a few more days for him to return to the field,” Hasibul said.
“As far as we know, it’s unlikely that he’ll be available for the ODI series. He might return in the T20s instead. Whether he can resume batting this week depends on the MRI results,” he added.
Liton’s recent ODI form has been poor. Across his last eight innings, he has scored just 13 runs in total — failing to reach double digits in any and registering four ducks. His last fifty came 14 innings ago, during the 2023 World Cup.
However, the team’s other batters haven’t fared much better. Bangladesh’s batting lineup has struggled throughout the ongoing series against Afghanistan.
The final match of that series is scheduled for Tuesday, starting at 6 p.m. Bangladesh time. After the game, the team will return to Dhaka on Wednesday in two groups, while the West Indies squad is also set to arrive the same day on two separate flights.
The three ODIs against the Caribbean side will be played on October 18, 21, and 23 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The T20 series will follow in Chittagong on October 27, 29, and 31.
