Bangladesh have made a late change to their Asian Games 2026 cricket squad, with uncapped off-spinner Aliss Al Islam called up as the replacement for injured all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the change on September 23, just before the team travelled to Japan for the men’s T20 competition. Aliss, 29, is yet to make his senior international debut but has established himself as a limited-overs specialist in Bangladesh’s domestic circuit.

Mohammad Saifuddin ruled out of Asian Games 2026

Saifuddin’s withdrawal is an injury setback for Bangladesh ahead of their campaign.

The pace-bowling all-rounder suffered a right hamstring injury while bowling during a practice session on September 19. An MRI subsequently confirmed the injury, with the rehabilitation period expected to be around three weeks. That timeline rules Saifuddin out of Bangladesh’s Asian Games campaign.

Bangladesh will enter the tournament directly at the quarter-final stage, making the timing particularly unfortunate for Saifuddin. The team will face the winner of Group B, which features Hong Kong, Oman and Malaysia.

Who is Aliss Al Islam?

Aliss is a 29-year-old right-arm off-spinner who has earned a reputation as a mystery spinner in Bangladesh’s white-ball circuit.

He first attracted major attention during the 2019 Bangladesh Premier League, when he claimed a hat-trick on his T20 debut for Dhaka Dynamites. Despite that memorable start, he has still not played a senior international match for Bangladesh.

Aliss was previously called up to Bangladesh’s T20I squad for the 2024 series against Sri Lanka, but an injury forced him to withdraw before making his international debut.

His recent performances have helped bring him back into the national setup.

Aliss recently featured for Bangladesh A against South Africa A in unofficial List A cricket. In one of the matches, he returned figures of 3/35 from 10 overs, giving the selectors another opportunity to assess his bowling.

His domestic T20 record is also noteworthy. Aliss has played 58 T20 matches and taken 59 wickets, while during the most recent BPL season he claimed nine wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 7.71.

Those numbers underline why the selectors continue to view him as a useful option in limited-overs cricket.

Bangladesh replace a pacer with a spinner

The replacement creates an interesting change in Bangladesh’s squad balance.

Saifuddin offered Bangladesh both pace bowling and lower-order batting, whereas Aliss is primarily a specialist spin option. He joins an attack that already includes Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed, giving captain Litton Das another spin option to consider.

Whether Aliss makes the playing XI will depend on Bangladesh’s tactical requirements and the conditions in Japan, but his inclusion gives the team another player capable of creating pressure through spin.

Also READ: Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson issues big warning to India ahead of Asian Games 2026

Bangladesh target success at Asian Games 2026

Bangladesh will begin their Asian Games 2026 campaign directly in the quarter-finals. The men’s cricket competition is being played in T20 format in Japan, with Bangladesh scheduled to start their campaign on September 29.

Litton Das will lead the Bangladesh side, which also features experienced white-ball players including Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.

Bangladesh won the bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, and the team will now look to make another deep run in the competition.

For Aliss Al Islam, meanwhile, the Asian Games represent a significant opportunity. After years of domestic cricket and an earlier national call-up that ended because of injury, the spinner finally has another chance to showcase his skills around Bangladesh’s senior team.

Also READ: Was MS Dhoni behind Zaheer Khan’s appointment as CSK head coach? Franchise official clears the air