Mosaddek unlikely for South Africa
Mosaddek Hossain has very slim chances of playing any matches in the Tigers' upcoming tour of South Africa as the 21-year old all-rounder is yet to recover from an eye infection.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to send Mosaddek, along with left-arm spinner Sanjamul Islam, who is also suffering from the same eye infection, to Bangkok for a check-up.
"We have scheduled [an appointment] with an eye specialist in Bangkok for Tuesday and we are expecting that Mosaddek will get his visa tomorrow [Sunday]. We also have another appointment on Thursday," informed BCB physician Dr. Debashish Chowdhury yesterday.
"We are sending him there as per the advice of our local eye specialists. This is not a dangerous infection but it will take time for him to fully recover. The treatment most likely will be the same as our eye specialists advised but we are still sending him to get a second opinion," he added.
Mosaddek was initially included in the squad for the first Test against Australia but after only 24 hours the selectors dropped him to make way for Mominul Haque after a lot of controversy over the latter's exclusion.
Now it is also unlikely that the national selectors will include Mosaddek, who has played only one Test so far, when they announce the Test squad for the two-match series against South Africa. However, there was also good news as X-ray reports showed nothing wrong with off-spinner Mehedi Hasan's finger.
Meanwhile, it is expected that changes will be made to the squad that played against Australia at home, with chief selector Minhajul Abedin already announcing that they will pick five pacers.
There is little doubt that 25-year-old pacer Kamrul Islam will be a strong contender to feature in the pace-heavy attack. Kamrul was not considered for the home series against Australia, but he was included for the Sri Lanka tour, although he did not feature in any matches.
However, the selectors could consider his performances during the trip to New Zealand, where he played both Tests and impressed many. Whether he gets a chance or not, Kamrul was optimistic about the Bangladesh pacers' success in South African conditions.
"There will more pace and bounce on the wickets but other things will be the same and I believe if someone has the capability then he can be good in any condition. So, there is no point in being worried about the bouncy track. We can now compete with any team in the world and don't forget Shakib bhai [Shakib Al Hasan] scored a double hundred in New Zealand on a bouncy wicket," said Kamrul.
The team is scheduled to fly for South Africa on September 16 and will play their tour-opening three-day warm-up match in Benoni from September 21 before playing the two-match Test series which will be followed by three ODIs and two T20Is.
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