By Swapneel Deshpande September 29, 2023
The Bangladesh cricket team has been hit with a major setback just before the start of the highly anticipated World Cup 2023. Their captain and star player, Shakib Al Hasan, sustained an unfortunate injury to his right heel during a practice football session. This injury has ruled him out of Bangladesh’s warm-up matches and the opening World Cup game against Afghanistan, scheduled for October 7 at Dharamshala.
Shakib’s absence was conspicuous as he was missing from the toss ceremony before Bangladesh’s ongoing warm-up match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati. Reports suggest that the seasoned all-rounder’s heel has swollen considerably due to the injury.
In recent days, Shakib Al Hasan found himself embroiled in a controversy involving fellow teammate Tamim Iqbal, resulting in Tamim’s exclusion from the World Cup squad. Despite these off-field issues, Bangladesh has put together a well-balanced but relatively inexperienced team for the World Cup, with Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah Riyad forming the core of the squad.
Shakib Al Hasan, a vital contributor with both bat and ball for Bangladesh, boasts an impressive ODI record, having played 240 matches, scored 7,384 runs, and taken over 300 wickets. In the previous World Cup edition, he finished as the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer, amassing 606 runs.
Bangladesh is currently engaged in its first warm-up match and will subsequently face the defending champions, England, in Guwahati on October 2 before launching their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan.
Shakib al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
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