Image Credit- AFP
Mushfiqur Rahim will
not play in Bangladesh’s two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins
in Sylhet on Friday, due to a fractured thumb. It has been confirmed by
Bangladeshi physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan that Mushfiqur will need a
minimum of three weeks to recuperate from the fracture.
The 36-year-old was hurt on Monday during the second over of the third One-Day
International against Sri Lanka. A Taskin Ahmed delivery caught him in the
right thumb, causing him to clutch his hand in anguish. After receiving some
treatment from the team physiotherapist, Mushfiqur returned to his
wicketkeeping responsibilities and went on to play a match-winning, undefeated
37 in Bangladesh’s 236-run chase.
“After the match, Mushfiqur underwent an X-ray examination in Dhaka, which
revealed an avulsion fracture on the MIP joint of his right thumb. He is
currently undergoing conservative management for his injury and is expected to
be sidelined for around three to four weeks, consequently ruling him out of
participation in the Test series against Sri Lanka,” Bayjedul said.
The loss of
Mushfiqur is a serious setback to Bangladesh’s batting lineup. The most Tests
played by any player from Bangladesh, 88, have seen him amass 5676 runs at an
average of 38.09. In the ODI series, Mushfiqur was also very good, finishing
second in runs scored for Bangladesh behind Najmul Hossain Shanto.
The successor for Mushfiqur has not yet been announced by the Bangladesh
selectors, but there aren’t many options with relevant red-ball experience.
Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, or Tanzid Hasan are the players who could be
taken into consideration; Jaker Ali and Anamul Haque are other recent additions
to the ODI team.
Before moving to
Chattogram for the second Test, which begins on March 30, Bangladesh will play
the first of the two Tests against Sri Lanka in Sylhet. After Bangladesh
recovered to win the ODI leg by the same margin, Sri Lanka emerged victorious
in the T20I series, 2-1.