Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim has been ruled out of the Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka as Bangladesh named their 15-member squad for the two-match series in Chittagong next week.
Mushfiq injured the little finger on his left hand during the first day of the second Test match and was diagnosed with a fracture, prompting team management to give him a break ahead of some more important matches.
The injury was initially thought to be a routine bruise, but things took a serious turn when Mushfiq found it hard to bend the finger the next morning. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Chittagong, where X-rays confirmed the fracture.
‘There is a small fracture in his little finger with no displacement. His condition will be reassessed tomorrow [Thursday] in the morning before the team decides if he can bat in this match,’ a team spokesman told reporters in Chittagong.
Chief selector Faruk Ahmed said Mushfiq will need to have an MRI in Dhaka once this Test match is complete.
‘The decision was taken purely on a medical ground. We cannot take any risk as he is the captain of the team and also a very important player,’ he said.
No replacement for Mushfiq as captain was announced.
Injury also ruled out left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak from the Twenty20 series as he picked up a hamstring injury on the first day of the Test.
Razzak left the field after bowling just four overs and may not take any further part in the Test match.
The twin injury blows opened up the door for some uncapped players, as selectors included Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Mithun and Arafat Sunny in the squad.
Sabbir was always in contention after a prolific season last year in the Twenty20 format, which saw him produce six half-centuries.
Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny made his mark with his economical bowling, which enabled him to be the leading wicket-taker in the domestic tournament.
In-form wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun was picked up as a potential replacement for Mushfiq behind the stumps.
All-rounder Farhad Reza also made a comeback, while Naeem Islam, Soumya Sarker and Ziaur Rahman lost their places.
The two Twenty20 matches are scheduled on February 12 and 14 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
Squad
Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Mohammad Mithun, Mominul Haque, Sakib al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Sohag Gazi, Arafat Sunny, Farhad Reza, Mashrafee bin Murtaza, Rubel Hossain and Al-Amin Hossain.
-With New Age input
