Daily Times

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan remains in contention for Bangladesh’s next World Cup match, against India on October 19, after he suffered a left quad injury in their last outing against New Zealand in Chennai. Team director Khaled Mahmud said that all signs point towards Shakib feeling well, but they will monitor him closely during Tuesday’s practice session in Pune.

Shakib got injured while taking a run during the New Zealand clash. He continued batting for a while, and he also bowled his quota of 10 overs but it was clear that he was battling through pain. He had a scan in Chennai shortly after the game, but reportedly, he is pain-free.

“Shakib is getting better,” Mahmud said. “He is pain-free. But we will know the full scenario when he hits the nets tomorrow. He will also do running between the wickets. We are hopeful that he can play against India. He worked in a swimming session, and some upper-half work in the gym today. There will be a scan tomorrow which will give us a clearer picture of his situation.”

Mahmud said that Shakib wants to play but his inclusion was not so straightforward.

“Usually these injuries produce a lot of pain,” he said. “It is tough to walk around even. Shakib is quite well. It is giving us hope.

“Shakib wants to play, so if the situation is that he is 85-90% fit, like he was in the last game after getting injured, we are hopeful too. But it depends on his 100% fitness.”

Mahmud said that they will still be cautious about not risking Shakib with six matches remaining for Bangladesh in the campaign. “We don’t want him to miss the rest of the tournament after playing one more game. There are six matches remaining.

“It is the doctor and physio’s call. We don’t want to trouble him in the long term. If he gets clearance from the physio, he will play.”

The Bangladesh team was given a two-day break in Pune and they will return to training on Tuesday. They have so far won only one of their three games.