All-rounder all but ruled out of first ODI
Bangladesh received a major scare on Monday when leading all-rounder Sakib al Hasan suffered a viral fever that prompted the team management to give him a day’s rest ahead of the opening one-day international against New Zealand today. Sakib was unable to practise with his team-mates at the Mirpur indoors a day before the three-match ODI seriesgets underway and things were not looking bright for the all-rounder, according to team doctor Debashish Chowdhury.
‘Sakib is uncertain. He is carrying a 103-degree fever and will require treatment. In these sorts of cases a lot depends on the player. Whether he will be able to make it or not mostly depends on his mentality so he will decide whether he will be able to take part in the match,’ said Debashish on Monday.
‘Some players are catching a slight fever in the last three-four days, and [Sakib] is sick as well,’ captain Mushfiqur Rahim also confirmed this to reporters at a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, the venue for the first two ODIs.
Mushfiq is hoping against hope that he will have Sakib fit in time for the one-dayers, more so due to the premier all-rounder’s eye-catching performance in the last home ODI series against New Zealand three years back.
Sakib, who was the stand-in captain back then in place of the injured Mashrafee bin Murtaza, led from the front with his virtuoso displays, scoring 213 runs and scalping 11 wickets that earned him the man-of-the-series award.
Sakib’s all-round show, which included a hundred, helped the Tigers trounce the Kiwis 4-0.
‘Hopefully, Sakib will be fit by tomorrow [today],’ said Mushfiq.
Bangladesh team manager Akram Khan also expressed his wish that their stalwart all-rounder will be fit in time before the first ODI.
‘We did not want to take any chance with him,’ said Akram. ‘This rest will hopefully be sufficient for him to regain back his fitness that had surely been affected due to this viral fever.’
Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen felt that Sakib was slowly rediscovering his former self after the ex-captain picked up his 10th five-wicket haul against the Kiwis in the first innings of the recently-concluded second Test.
‘Sakib seemed to be getting back to his best,’ said Jurgensen.
‘The best thing about him is that he can switch on before a crucial series and that is a sign of a world-class player,’ said Jurgensen.
Apart from Sakib, there were some lingering doubts over the fitness of Mominul Haque and Mushfiq himself, who are both recovering from a viral fever.
‘Yesterday [Sunday] we asked Mominul to rest as he is not completely fit but he is fit enough to
play,’ said Mushfiq. ‘I am not doing too well either so hopefully I’ll be fit by tomorrow [today],’ said Mushfiq.
‘There are a few other niggles, but hopefully everyone will be fit by tomorrow [today],’ he added.
Despite the injury problems, Mushfiq was looking forward to the ODI series stating that the Tigers now possessed some fine options at their disposal.
‘We have enough options in the side. We will decide [the team]
tomorrow [today]. [Mahmudullah] Riyad bhai is there, Naeem [Islam] bhai is there and [Sohag]
Gazi is obviously there,’ he said.
‘We will obviously see the wicket, and like I said, there is the dew factor. If we play with six-seven spinners, lose the toss
and field later then it might be an issue so we will come up with a balance,’ he added.
-With New Age input
