Bangladesh announce Asia Cup squad sans Tamim

The Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday declared a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup starting from February 25. Opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal has been left out due to a neck injury and will be replaced by top order batsman Imrul Kayes.  Mahmudullah lost his place in the squad after a run of poor performances and was replaced by all-rounder Ziaur Rahman for the number seven spot. “The number seven position is proving very important and therefore Ziaur Rahman gets the nod. He is in form and has been performing consistently at domestic level,” said chief of the national selection panel Faruk Ahmed to the media yesterday. Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak has also returned to the side after recovering from a hamstring injury, he replaces seamer Shafiul Islam. Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is undergoing a three match suspension due to an inappropriate gesture in the dressing room has also been named in the squad, however, he will join the team only after Bangladesh’s second game in the tournament. Among the changes in the squad, it was Tamim’s which had got the most attention. The hard-hitting batsman suffering from a neck injury and went under an MRI test on Friday which revealed that he has a ‘Grade One Strain’ on the left of his neck and ‘disc bulge’ – a common cause for lower back pain.   Tamim sustained the neck injury ahead of the second Twenty20 against Sri Lanka earlier this month in Chittagong. However he appeared in the second T20 game but the increasing trouble due to the injury kept him out of the three match ODI series which Bangladesh lost 3-0. According to the medical report and theory, the strain on the fiber takes at least 7 to 14 days to recover while the ‘disc bulge’ is the chief concern of the injury. Under such situations the call depended on the national team physiotherapist Vibhav Singh and then the team management and the national selection panel. To avoid the risk of Tamim facing further damage to the injury and putting his appearance in the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in doubt, the concerned decided to rest him for the Asia Cup. “We will not be getting Tamim in the Asia Cup. He has not recovered from an injury and it may take another week or so for him to return. Under the circumstances our priority is to have him fully fit for the ICC World Twenty20 and he will continue his rehab,” said Faruk. Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (Captain), Anamul Hoque Bijoy,  Imrul Kayes, Shamsur Rahman, Naeem Islam, Muminul Hoque, Nasir Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Ziaur Rahman,  Abdur Razzak, Shohag Gazi, Masrafe Bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Al Amin Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan