Shakib Al Hasan is out of remainder of World Cup 2023© AFP
Just a day after the ‘timed out controversy’ involving Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, the latter has been ruled out of his team’s final World Cup match due to an injury. Bangladesh are scheduled to take on the mighty Australia in their final World Cup fixture but Shakib would not be a part of the team for that fixture, having fractured a finger on his left hand. Though Bangladesh are already out of the World Cup semi-final race, they are still fighting for a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
It isn’t yet known for how long Shakib will be sidelined for the injury. But, his absence does impact Bangladesh’s chances against Australia who are all but assured of a spot in the semi-finals.
“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan was quoted as saying by the ICC on Tuesday.
“He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.” Bangladesh are out of the reckoning for the semifinals. They had defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in the inconsequential match on Monday.
As for the match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh’s triumph helped them stay alive in the fight for a top 7 spot in the World Cup standings. Bangladesh skipper Shakib (82), who also took 2 for 57 with the ball, and Najmul Hossain Shanto (90) shared a 169-run stand off 147 balls to lay the foundation of the successful run-chase of 280 runs.The game’s result, however, was overshadowed by the ‘timed out’ controversy.
Mathews’ dismissal added another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the two teams when he was timed out, the first instance in international cricket across formats.
Mathews had walked in after Sadeera Samarawickrama holed out on the second ball of the 25th over off Shakib’s bowling but he failed to get ready to face the ball within two minutes after realising that the strap of his helmet was broken.
The delay prompted Bangladesh to appeal and the umpires upheld it despite Mathews’ repeated pleas.
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who are at four points each, need to finish inside the top-8 to make the cut for the Champions Trophy.
With PTI inputs
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