Litton Das Ruled Out of UAE ODI Tri-Series Due to Hip Injury, Hridoy Takes Over as Captain

Bangladesh have suffered a major setback ahead of their ODI tri-series in the United Arab Emirates, with regular white-ball captain Litton Das ruled out of the tournament due to a right hip joint injury. Vice-captain Towhid Hridoy has taken over the captaincy, while Parvez Hossain Emon has been named as Litton’s replacement in the squad.

The tri-series, featuring Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, began on Saturday, with Bangladesh facing Zimbabwe in the opening match. Hridoy led the side in the tournament opener after Litton failed to pass a fitness test.

“Litton Das came to us with a right hip joint complaint,” Bangladesh team physio Bayezid Islam Khan said after the toss.

“We did an MRI report which told us something was wrong. Litton still tried to take a fitness test today but couldn't match the benchmark, so he is not available for this series.”

Litton, who was appointed Bangladesh’s full-time ODI captain in July, has struggled with injuries in recent months and also missed the team’s tour of Zimbabwe in July. However, he recently impressed in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, earning Player of the Match honours after scoring 53 and 102 and taking eight catches.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz also missed Bangladesh’s opening match against Zimbabwe due to a fever. According to team physio Bayezid, Mehidy had been suffering from the illness for the previous three days.

This is the first time since September 2023 that both Litton and Mehidy have missed an ODI for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh are also without fast bowler Nahid Rana, who has been sidelined since mid-July with a side strain. Rana was recently in Perth for a medical check-up, with the latest update suggesting that he was expected to return to competitive cricket later this month.

With Litton ruled out for the entire tournament and Mehidy’s availability uncertain, Bangladesh will need their remaining players to step up as they compete against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in the UAE tri-series.