Picture Credit: Twitter
Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh cricket team, who travelled to India to take part in the ODI World Cup 2023, picked up a foot injury while playing football during a training session prior to the first warm-up match against Sri Lanka, on September 29. At the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, the 36-year-old skipped the inconsequential fixture as a precautionary measure, looking at the schedule ahead in the quadrennial spectacle.
Despite the absence of their captain, leader, and talisman, Bangladesh were able to brush aside the challenge of Sri Lanka in the warm-up match, to register a seven wicket win with 48 balls to spare. In the bowling department, Mahedi Hasan led the charge with a three-wicket haul, before the top three of Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, and the stand-in captain for the night Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored fifties to chase down the 264-run target easily.
The vice-captain of Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, before his first appearance of the tournament against England in their second warm-up match of the ODI World Cup 2023, provided a major update on Shakib Al Hasan, as the stand-in captain of the night. As per the report in ESPNcricinfo, he said that the captain of Bangladesh is “100% fine” and “will be available” for the first round robin match of the quadrennial spectacle.
Bangladesh are scheduled to open their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign against Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on October 7. Then, just three days later, in the repeat of their second warm-up match, Bangladesh will go head-to-head against England at the aforementioned venue, which is expected to be one of the most difficult fixtures for them in the tournament.
