A fractured right thumb has forced veteran Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim to sit out of the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka starting Friday (March 22).
The former Bangladesh skipper suffered the injury while trying to collect a length delivery from right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed that shaped away from Pathum Nissanka in the second over of the third ODI. The ball hit the wicketkeeper flush on his right thumb and he was immediately in a lot of discomfort.
Bangladesh's team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan tended to Rahim and the latter continued to don the wicketkeeping gloves for the rest of the game and also played a crucial knock of 37* to help his side win the contest and the series 2-1.
The physio has confirmed that the injury to Rahim is set to take three to four weeks to heal completely and hence it has sidelined him from the upcoming Test series against the Lankan Lions.
"After the match, Mushfiqur underwent an X-ray examination in Dhaka, which revealed an avulsion fracture on the MIP joint of his right thumb. He is currently undergoing conservative management for his injury and is expected to be sidelined for around three to four weeks, consequently ruling him out of participation in the Test series against Sri Lanka," Bayjedul was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Notably, Rahim's absence leaves Bangladesh short on red-ball experience. The 36-year-old has played 88 Tests so far and already aggregated 5676 runs at an average of 38.09 with the help of 10 centuries and 27 half-centuries.
Sri Lanka's Test squad:
Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara
Bangladesh squad for the first Test:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Kumer Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Mushfik Hasan, Nahid Rana
