Shadman, Imrul may miss first Pakistan Test

Openers Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes are likely to miss the first Test against Pakistan next month due to injury.

Shadman has been carrying a wrist injury picked up while playing for the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in July-August, while Imrul is yet to recover from a hamstring injury picked up during the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League T20 that ended in January.

Left-hander Shadman played in the two Test matches against India last November, but the pain in his wrist recently resurfaced and he was given an injection on Monday. Doctors have advised him to take one week of rest.

“We have asked Shadman not to play in the Bangladesh Cricket League, as he has been suffering from a wrist injury for quite some time now. This is an old injury. When he tries to bat, his pain accentuates. We advised an injection for him and to give him one week rest. Due to this, we also informed the team management not to consider him for the first round match of the BCL,” BCB Chief Physician Debashish Chowdhury told reporters Tuesday.

“He took the injection on Monday and we will assess his condition again after two or three days. We can decide whether he will be available for the Pakistan Test after observing the situation,” he added.

“This kind of injury is manageable for shorter matches, but it gets tough when someone plays in the longer format,” the physician further said. 

Shadman scored 29, 0, 6 and 6 in his last four innings for Bangladesh, during the away Test series against India. 

Imrul, also a left-hander, has been retained by BCL side Islami Bank East Zone despite his hamstring injury. He has a chance to play in the second and third round of the first-class tournament, which begins on January 31. 

 “Imrul has recovered well from the hamstring injury, but we still suggested that he not feature in the BCL first-round matches as there is a chance of him getting injured again,” Debashish said. 

Bangladesh will play the first match of the two-Test series from February 7-11 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.