Finger injury to keep Shakib Al Hasan from New Zealand tour

Bangladesh Test Captain and ODI Vice Captain Shakib Al Hasan will be unable to go on tour to New Zealand because of a finger injury suffered during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final.

Shakib was at bat for only five deliveries during Friday’s game when disaster struck. An attempted pull shot on a short delivery by Thisara Perera in the 11th over struck the Dhaka Dynamites captain on the gloves and injured the ring finger of his left hand.

He was dismissed by the first ball of the next over. A scan after the match found he had fractured the finger. BCB chief sports physician Debashis Chowdhury said in a statement that the injury will keep Shakib off the field for at least three weeks.

Shakib was to leave Dhaka for New Zealand on Saturday night. Bangladesh’s first ODI against the Kiwis is scheduled for next Wednesday. The three-match ODI series is to end Feb 20.

The first Test match is scheduled for Feb 28, while the second is on Mar 18. According to the physician, Shakib may only be able to return for the third and final Test on Mar 16.

Shakib had also suffered a bad finger injury last January during a tri-nation series final against Sri Lanka. He had missed the Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka on home soil and the first part of the Nidahas Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka.

He struggled with the injury during the Asia Cup in September and had to return home from the United Arab Emirates before the final of the tournament. He also missed the series against Zimbabwe at home.

Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Saifuddin and Rubel Hossain, all of whom played the BPL final, will join Bangladesh ODI Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza on the flight to New Zealand on Saturday night.

Pacer Taskin Ahmed was also ruled out of the New Zealand tour after he tore a ligament during a BPL match. Shafiul Islam will take his place in the ODI series. Taskin will be replaced by debutant Ebadat Hossain for the Tests.

The BCB has yet to name Shakib’s replacement.