Dhaka (PTI): Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das was on Wednesday ruled out of the entire duration of Asia Cup cricket tournament due to illness, dealing a blow to the side ahead of their campaign opener against hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

Das could not recover from a viral fever, and he did not travel to Sri Lanka whom Bangladesh face in their opening match on Thursday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Anamul Haque Bijoy as Das' replacement.

Bijoy will join the squad in Sri Lanka later on Wednesday.

"Bangladesh opening batsman Litton Kumer Das, who could not travel to Sri Lanka with the Asia Cup squad due to viral fever, has been ruled out of the tournament as he has not recovered from the illness," the BCB said in a statement.

"The National Selection Panel of BCB has named 30-year-old fellow right-hander Anamul Haque Bijoy as Litton's replacement."

Anamul Haque has played 44 ODIs and has scored 1254 runs which include three hundreds. His last ODI appearance for Bangladesh was in December 2022 against India.

BCB's National Selection Panel Chairman Minhajul Abedin said: "He (Anamul) has been in the runs in domestic cricket and we have continued to monitor him in the Bangladesh Tigers programme. He was always in our consideration.

"Due to Litton's unavailability, we needed a top-order batter who could keep wicket and Anamul got the nod."

Bangladesh Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Naim Sheikh, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Anamul Haque Bijoy.

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This year, Ramadan and Lent are reportedly being observed during the same period, a calendar overlap that happens only once in roughly 30 to 33 years.

According to a post by ‘That Dubai Page’ on Instagram both are important periods of fasting in Islam and Christianity respectively, but they follow different calendars, which is why their dates usually do not align.

What is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day period in the Christian liturgical calendar observed before Easter.

It is marked by fasting, prayer, repentance and self-examination.

The duration of 40 days reflects the time Jesus is believed to have fasted in the wilderness. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before Easter Sunday, and the feast mass is celebrated on Saturday.

The exact dates change every year because they are linked to Easter, which is calculated based on the Christian liturgical calendar.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer and spiritual discipline. From dawn to sunset each day, adult and able-bodied Muslims abstain from food and drink. The fast is broken at sunset.

Unlike Lent, Ramadan does not follow the Gregorian calendar.

According to admiddleeast.com , Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon, known as the hilāl, which signals the start of the new lunar month.

Religious committees in many Muslim-majority countries meet after sunset on the 29th day of the preceding month, Sha‘ban, to look for the moon.

If it is sighted, Ramadan begins the next day. If not, Sha‘ban is completed as a 30-day month and Ramadan starts after that.

While Saudi Arabias announcement is widely followed, each country makes its own official declaration.

Why dont they always overlap?

The Islamic lunar calendar has around 354 days, which is about 10 to 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.

Because of this difference, Ramadan shifts earlier by about 10 or 11 days each year. Over time, it moves through all seasons.

Lent, on the other hand, is tied to Easter and the Christian liturgical calendar. Since the two religious observances are based on different systems for calculating dates, they rarely fall at the same time.

How often does the overlap happen?

The overlap happens in cycles of approximately 30 to 33 years. When it happens, Ramadan and Lent may coincide for a few consecutive years. After that, they do not align again for decades.

Following the current cycle, major overlaps are not expected again until the 2050s.