Ashraful ommited, Nafees recalled
Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal will miss the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand as he underwent a surgery in Australia while former skipper Mohammad Ashraful was left out of the 14-member Bangladesh squad, announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday.
Opener Shahriar Nafees got a national recall after two years as he was banned by the BCB for his involvement with the ICL. He had to work hard to get into the national team.
Tamim had to undergo the surgery to remove bone fragments from the base of his left third metacarpal at Glenferrie Private Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday afternoon.
The operation was performed by Dr Greg Hoy who is a specialist in hand and wrist surgery.
Hoy is hopeful that Tamim should be fit to return to play again in 6-8 weeks. It was learnt that the stitches will be removed on Thursday and after that Tamim will have his first physiotherapy session.
‘The recovery takes around two months in such cases. However, we will have a clearer idea once we get a detailed update from Dr Hoy. Tamim is definitely out of the ODI series against New Zealand next month as he will be going through a rehabilitation programme,’ said national team physio Michael Henry.
Akram Khan, a former national skipper and currently a member of the selection committee, explained the reasons for Ashraful’s omission. ‘Ashraful had failed to score runs in the England series and his performance in the camp was also not very satisfactory,’ said Akram.
However, Ashraful he has been kept in the five-member stand-by list and may get a call in a case of emergency.
The selector also justified the inclusion of Shahriar Nafees. ‘Actually Shahriar Nafees is replacing Tamim Iqbal as he has just undergone a surgery in Australia, we have observed that Nafees has worked hard in the camp and he gets another chance to establish himself in international cricket,’ commented Akram.
Pace spearhead Mashrafee bin Murtaza will lead the Bangladesh team which includes five spinners and Bangladesh are looking to outplay the visitors with the tweakers. Vice-captain Sakib al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak and Sohrawardi Shuvo are the spinners who will be forming the spinning web for the Tigers. Skipper Mashrafee will lead the three-pronged pace attack along with Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain.
The players will report for training on Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Squad: Mashrafee bin Murtaza (captain), Sakib al Hasan (vice-captain), Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Junaed Siddique, Roqibul Hassan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Jahirul Islam, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Sohrawardi Shuvo. Stand-bys: Mohammad Ashraful, Nazimuddin, Nazmul Hossain, Dollar Mahmud, Shubhagata Hom.
