The Asian Games are starting from September 19 under the host of Japan. This time a cricket match will also be played in this tournament for which the schedule was announced recently. Before this tournament, the Bangladesh cricket team has received a big blow. The team’s star fast bowler Nahid Rana will not play in this tournament due to injury. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials on Monday (August 31) clarified that they are not considering fast bowler Nahid Rana’s name for the upcoming Asian Games.
Nahid recently recovered from a side strain and resumed bowling in the nets after a six-week layoff. The board does not want to rush or risk his injury, so they are resting him from the Asian Games and preparing to return him to the field for the series against Afghanistan in October. He was also ruled out of the recent two-match Test series against Australia due to this injury. Notably, he was injured during the Zimbabwe tour.
Bangladesh Cricket Board chief selector Habibul Bashar has clarified that fast bowler Nahid Rana will not play in the upcoming Asian Games as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation. The board does not want to rush it or take any risks. Habibul said Nahid will return to the field for the series against Afghanistan in October after being fully fit. Whether he will play Tests or ODIs in the series will be decided later, but his absence from the Asian Games is certain.
The men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games will be played from September 24 to October 3, with a total of 10 teams participating. The team ranking is determined based on the T20 ranking as of July 23, 2026. According to the tournament rules, the six lower ranked teams will play group stage matches first to advance to the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, the top four teams, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, benefited from their excellent ICC rankings and qualified directly for the quarter-finals. The Indian team will play its quarter final match on September 28.
