Pace pair runs against time
With Bangladesh's next game is scheduled against the West Indies on March 25, many would have ideally thought that the mini-break of sorts would have given the team management and the players the time to start afresh and recover from their unexpected defeat to Hong Kong in the first round.
However, as it so happens, the hosts now have to worry about getting two of their pacers fit in time for their Super Tens opener. The fates of both Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Rubel Hossain, who suffered injuries in the first round, seem to be at the cusp of fitness tests scheduled to take place today and tomorrow.
MRI scans have revealed that Mashrafe tore a soft tissue on the right portion of his body after he made an attempt to save a boundary against Afghanistan.
"Initially we thought it was a fracture and that's why we sent him to Dhaka before the third game against Hong Kong to have it checked. The report stated that it was not a fracture but a torn tissue," said Bangladesh physio Vibhav Singh.
The injury to the pacer's right side has piled on along with the side strain on the left and it has reportedly worried the team management. The other worrisome factor is that Mashrafe has not been able to bowl, even in practice, ever since the game against Nepal on March 18.
The pacer, who was initially in doubt to make the World Cup cut due to the side-strain, faces yet another test tomorrow, this time to reconfirm his place for the Super Tens.
The scenario for Rubel, who injured a ligament on his right ring finger in the game against Hong Kong, seems equally bad, and a final call on the bowler will be taken today.
According to chief selector Faruque Ahmed, the team management will meet today in order to discuss the future of the two bowlers.
The selectors may select a couple of players from the Bangladesh A team, that played practice matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa prior to the start of the World Cup, provided the pacers fail to pass their fitness tests.
While the names are yet to be discussed, the likes of Ziaur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny could be in contention. Ziaur, who was in Bangladesh's Asia Cup squad, seemed to be in good touch during the tournament. A fit-again Taskin was among the wickets in both the practice games. Sunny, on the other hand, had a very good run in the Asia Cup and can also be a possible replacement for a struggling Abdur Razzak in the playing eleven.
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