National team striker Shakhawat Hossain Rony aggravated a groin injury during the first match of the SAFF Championship on Saturday against Nepal, further deepening Bangladesh’s injury crisis.
Rony joins captain Mamunul Islam, midfielder Sohel Rana and goalkeeper Shahidul Alam on the injury list ahead of the crucial match against India on Tuesday.Rony, who has been suffering from groin trouble since last season, has been all but ruled out from the rest of the tournament.
‘During the Nepal match, I tried to receive a ball and stretched the muscles. After a few hours, my muscles were swollen,’ Rony said at the Police Headquarter Ground in Kathmandu on Sunday.
Meanwhile, playmaker Mamunul Islam is still experiencing pain in his right knee and is not confident about his chances of featuring against India.
Coach Lodewijk de Kruif was downcast regarding Mamunul’s chances of playing, but the Dutchman was hopeful that Sohel Rana would be fit for the match.
‘Mamunul is not ready yet, but hopefully Sohel will be ready for the next match,’ he said.
‘In midfield, Mamunul is the best player in the country. It is hard for us to replace him. [Zahid Hasan] Ameli played in that position in the last match and he played well, but for that position we need a real number 10, and that is only Mamunul,’ said the coach.
Mamunul claimed that Bangladesh lost their rhythm due to the spate of injuries and pointed out that the changes to the playing eleven were hampering the team’s momentum.
‘Actually, the injuries are a big source of worry to us. Four regular players – Pranotosh [Kumar], Shahidul Alam, Sohel Rana and myself – were part of the team during the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers here in February-March, but now our playing eleven has been disrupted because of injury,’ Mamunul said after a practice session on Sunday.
‘The coach chalked out his plan before coming here, picking me and Sohel in the eleven, but we had to change it at the last moment because of injuries,’ he added.
Mamunul, however, refused to blame the Dutch coaching staff for the national side’s opening match defeat. The skipper also brushed aside suggestions that fatigue was one of the reasons behind the loss.
‘We got enough recovery time after arriving here one week ago. The coach gave us enough time to sleep and rest. He is conducting only one practice session of two hours every day. The rest of the time we are taking rest to recover from fatigue. So I don’t think that fatigue played any part in the loss against Nepal,’ he said.
-With New Age input
