(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) – Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh all-rounder, is set to miss the series against Zimbabwe after a flare up of his long-standing finger injury. The left-hander, who was ruled out of the Super Four Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Wednesday (September 26) after aggravating the fracture to his left little finger, boarded a Dhaka-bound flight on the same day. He’s likely to undergo surgery which will keep him out of action for the home series against Zimbabwe, which will be played from September 30 to October 14.
“He will be out for four to six weeks,” Akram Khan, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, told reporters during the match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. “The pain had increased over the last few days and the physio [Thihan Chandramohan] tried his best to get him on the field, but the pain was too much. I would like to thank Shakib for playing [the first four matches] with the pain he had.”
Team manager Khaled Mahmud told Cricbuzz that Shakib’s injury had worsened before the Pakistan game, with scans confirming that he was not in a position to play even after taking painkillers. “A decision regarding his operation will be taken once he reaches Dhaka,” Mahmud said. “The problem is that his finger is getting sore and that is extremely difficult for someone to carry on and play.” Meanwhile, BCB insiders mentioned that Shakib is set to fly to USA to get his finger operated in the immediate future, although the date hasn’t been finalised yet.
Shakib’s participation in the Asia Cup was shrouded in controversy in the lead up to the tournament. The all-rounder had expressed his desire to get his finger operated and give the tournament a miss. BCB president Nazmul Hasan, however, was keen for Shakib to participate, stating that “the Asia Cup is expected to be tough tournament and during that time if a player of Shakib’s stature doesn’t play, chances are high that the morale of the team might go down.” Nazmul, however, back-tracked on his statement soon after, mentioning that the ball was entirely in the player’s court.
Shakib’s injury problem started in January when the 31-year-old hurt the base of his left little finger while fielding during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Mirpur. He missed the subsequent Test and T20I series against the same opponents and also didn’t play in the first few matches of the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in March.
During his healing period, Shakib took treatment in Thailand and Australia but the pain resurfaced during the Twenty20 series in the West Indies and the United States, where he played the last two matches with painkillers.
Courtesy : Cricbuzz
