The Bangladesh national cricket team has encountered a significant setback just before their opening Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, as their opener, Litton Das, has been ruled out of the first match due to fever.

Litton has been among Bangladesh's top batters for the past few years, and his absence will undoubtedly be felt by the Tigers in their first Asia Cup match.

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Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector of Bangladesh, told UNB that the opener won't be able to participate in the opening match in Sri Lanka.

"He is still suffering from fever," Minhajul told UNB. "We are awaiting an update from the medical department."

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Litton was supposed to travel to Sri Lanka with the team on August 27th but could not make it due to a fever. 

He was rescheduled to travel to Sri Lanka on Tuesday and join the team in Kandy; Litton's plans were disrupted due to his ongoing fever, preventing him from taking the flight.

Read: Bangladesh Cricket Team Departs for Asia Cup Without Liton Das

Bangladesh are set to commence their Asia Cup journey on August 31st in Kandy. After that, they will travel to Pakistan for their second match against Afghanistan. 

Minhajul mentioned that they have not yet contemplated a replacement for Liton.

This year's Asia Cup features a total of six participating teams. Apart from Bangladesh, the other teams are Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.