Bangladesh cricket board seeks replacement for injured Saifuddin before Asian Games

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is preparing to name a stand‑in for Mohammad Saifuddin after the all‑rounder was diagnosed with a right‑hamstring strain. The injury, identified during a practice drill on September 19, will keep Saifuddin out of the Asian Games cricket competition that begins on September 24, 2026. Following a medical MRI, the BCB communicated Saifuddin’s unavailability to the Bangladesh Olympic Association and is now waiting for the Games Authority’s approval to register a replacement. Physiotherapist Bayezidul Islam Khan explained that the player will need about three weeks of rehabilitation before he can return to competitive cricket. Saifuddin, who debuted in April 2017, last appeared for Bangladesh in a July series against Zimbabwe and recently featured in an unofficial Test and two ODIs versus South Africa. His career tally includes 42 ODI wickets, 57 T20I wickets, two ODI half‑centuries, and 96 wickets in 76 Bangladesh Premier League outings. In first‑class cricket he has taken 63 wickets in 38 matches, scoring a century and 1,393 runs, while his List‑A record stands at 228 wickets and 1,825 runs. Bangladesh’s Asian Games itinerary lists a quarter‑final on September 29, semi‑finals on October 1, and the final and bronze‑medal match on October 3 at the Nisinkarogi Sports Park.