With the second Test between India and Bangladesh set to commence on Friday, September 27, the Bangladesh medical team is assessing Shakib Al Hasan’s health status as he is a key player for the team. The all-rounder struggled with a finger injury in the first Test, thus limiting his ability to bowl.
Almost from the start of the innings, there was a kind of shock that why exactly they were saving Shakib for it was Bangladesh’s turn to bowl. The fast bowlers were on a roll, but Shakib was not called to bowl until the 52nd over of the match.
This decision irked the fans and critics alike, until captain Tamim Iqbal, revealed the reason for Shakib’s absence which was an injury, first revealed by the commentator Murali Kartik.
“I was very surprised that Shakib didn’t come and bowl and then I got some info from one of our fellow commentators, Murali Karthik was having a word with him. Apparently, he is having some issues with his finger, which had a surgery, and he is having an issue with his shoulder.”
“So I believe the team management should have known this before the Test matches because if he was not communicated properly, that means Bangladesh is playing with four bowlers, which is very unfortunate,” Tamim said on air midway through the first Test.
According to Debashish, the chief doctor of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, they are not aware of any such fresh injury problems. Shakib’s injury on his finger was sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup sport in the country of India, and it was the injury to his shoulder that caused him to withdraw from playing the tournament halfway in.
Prior to the commencement of the second test in Kanpur, Bangladesh selector Hannan Sarkar spoke more on the issue regarding Shakib’s availability.
“Shakib is our best player. When he is in the playing eleven, it’s easier for us to form the team combination. We always have to think before picking Shakib for the next match and there is time before the next match. And We will see what condition he is in,” Hannan Sarkar told reporters.
“We know the pain in his hand is being discussed. It was not there before the match and many have tried to explain it in different ways. But before the match, we got a 100 percent clearance from the physio before taking him. He was a 100 percent fit then. You can’t say it’s an injury. The discomfort he felt in that finger was not there before the match. He felt that when he started to bowl,” he added.
Hannan Sarkar elaborated and mentioned that the management does not seem to be in a hurry to take a decision. There exists almost a week’s dry period between both the Tests, the first one having concluded at the scrappy beginning of the day Z.
“We don’t want to make a decision yet. These two days, the physio has kept him under observation. When we get back to the ground, we will get the physio’s feedback,” he concluded.
In the First Test, Bangladesh suffered a comprehensive defeat of 280 runs as India scored mountains of runs in both of her innings, and Ravichandran Ashwin signed off the script on a high note back home with a six wicket haul.
Shakib Al Hasan finished the first Test against India with bowling figures of 0-50 and 0-79
The all-rounder had been in good rhythm with the ball, having taken nine wickets in the recent County Championship clash against Somerset, in which he bowled a total of 63 overs. However, he could not replicate the same fiery form in the Test match against India, which was capitalized by the Indian batters.
He gave away 50 runs in the first innings at a rate of 6.25 per over, while he did not do any better the second time around, giving away 79 runs at a rate of 6.07 per over, and finished the match without picking a single wicket.
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