Shawdesh desk:

Bangladesh national cricket team will not have the services of pacer Shoriful Islam in their opening game of the ICC T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka as he won’t fully recover from his left hand injury but will likely have Taskin Ahmed fit to play.

The pacer suffered the injury during their second warm-up tie against India in New York on June 1, which saw him receive six stitches in the webbing between his index and middle finger.

The Bangladesh national team will play their opening match of the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on June 8.

‘We were supposed to evaluate Shoriful’s injury today. So, what we have found is that he is not confident enough to bowl in the match against Sri Lanka, which is why we have decided not to play him in the tie,’ said Debashish Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s chief physician, told New Age.

‘We will suggest Shoriful to bowl once he feels better. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that he will be available for the remaining three World Cup ties against South Africa, Netherlands, and Nepal.’

It was a free and easy Monday for the Bangladesh national team upon their arrival in Dallas from New York following the second and final warm-up. The majority of the players opted to stay inside the team hotel to take some rest.

Bangladesh pacer Taskin, who has been recovering from a rib injury that he suffered during the fourth of the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe at home, attended a training session.

The speedster looked okay while bowling as he delivered each ball with intensity. Debashish assured that the 29-year-old is all set to play from the first match of the tournament.

‘Taskin was doing quite well today with his bowling. He had no complaints following his bowling sessions. I would say he will be able to play from the very first game of the World Cup,’ he said.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto answered spontaneously when asked about the overall team atmosphere but was unwilling to discuss Shoriful’s injury with New Age.

‘We are really doing great here in Dallas. Few among us were resting, as you know they were tired. Taskin is attending a training session. I think we will be able to regroup ahead of the first game,’ he said.

Asked about Shoriful’s injury, the Bangladesh skipper said, ‘Look, let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about something else.’