Fizz misses Pakistan tour with fractured thumb; Khaled named as replacement

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of Pakistan due to a finger injury sustained during the Indian Premier League, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)confirmed in a statement on Sunday.

The left-arm seamer suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his final IPL match. 

According to BCB’s national team physio Delowar Hossain Siva, the injury will sideline Mustafizur for at least two weeks, with further assessment scheduled thereafter.

“Mustafizur suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his last match of the Indian Premier League yesterday,” Siva said in the media release.

“This injury requires a period of rest and rehabilitation. As per our current assessment, he will be unavailable for selection for the next two to three weeks. We will conduct a follow-up evaluation after two weeks to monitor his recovery progress,” he added

In response to the injury, the national selectors have named right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed as Mustafizur’s replacement for the tour.

Khaled, who has featured for Bangladesh in both red-ball and white-ball formats, will now join the squad ahead of the three-match T20I series in Lahore starting later this month.

Mustafizur’s absence is a bug blow, given his experience and recent form in the IPL, where he had a record-breaking performance for a Bangladeshi in the tournament.