Courtesy: X
The Bangladesh cricket team suffered a serious setback when veteran wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim got ruled out of the ongoing three-match ODI series versus Afghanistan due to an injury. In the first ODI, which saw Bangladesh get defeated by 92 runs against Afghanistan, Mushfiqur Rahim suffered a fracture to his left index finger. With that, Mushfiqur is under management supervision, and will miss the second and third ODIs against Afghanistan, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) statement.
Notably, the second and third ODIs between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will take place at the same location i.e, Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on November 9 and 11 respectively. Although Bangladesh will be without Mushfiqur Rahim in these two matches after team physio Delowar Hossain stated in BCB press release, "Mushfiqur hurt the tip of his left index finger while keeping wickets towards the end of Afghanistan's batting innings."
More information regarding Mushfiqur Rahim's health would be released soon: Bangladesh team physio
"After the game, an X-ray revealed that he had a fractured left index finger close to the DIP joint. He is not available for the second and third ODIs because of his conservative management. It further stated that more information regarding his health and anticipated recuperation time would be released soon," added the Bangladesh team physio, to confirm the wtihdrawal of Mushfiqur Rahim from the national squad for the ODI series against Afghansitan.
What happened in the first ODI between Bangladesh and Afghanistan?
Bangladesh lost eight wickets for just 23 runs while chasing 236 runs, collapsing to a massive defeat against Afghanistan in the first ODI of the three-match series. Since Mushfiqur Rahim's finger injury happened in Afghanistan's batting innings, he was slated to bat late in the order at No. 7. He was being stumped out for one off three against Mohammad Ghazanfar, who registered figures of 6/26 for Afghanistan in the first ODI.
Bangladesh is behind 0-1 in the three-match ODI series, and they have not yet announced a replacement for Mushfiqur Rahim. For the remainder of the series, Jakir Ali is anticipated to take Litton Das' place as wicket-keeper while he recovers from a fever. Moreover, Mushfiqur Rahim is also doubtful for the entire West Indies tour, which starts on November 22, and consists of two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is, due to the finger injury. After retiring from the shortest format in 2022, the 37-year-old might not feature in the Test and ODI series against West Indies.
