Daily Times

Bangladesh pace spearhead Shoriful Islam is a doubt for the team’s first match of the T20 World Cup after he split the webbing between his index and middle finger while fielding a warm-up in New York on Saturday. The injury to the left-armer’s bowling hand needed stitches and leaves him racing against time to make Bangladesh’s opening match against Sri Lanka on Friday in Dallas. “He’s got six stitches,” Bangladesh Cricket Board physician Debashis Chowdhury said in a video message on Sunday. “Considering his importance, we are trying to give our best so that he can come back quickly,” Chowhdury said. The left-armer paceman tried to stop a drive from Hardik Pandya in the final over of India’s innings and was hit on his bowling hand. He was taken from the field for treatment. Struggling Bangladesh, who lost the match by 60 runs, are also battling to get fellow pace bowler Taskin Ahmed fit for the Sri Lanka clash. Taskin missed the recent three-match series against the United States, which Bangladesh lost 2-1. Bangladesh have never qualified for the knockout phase of the T20 World Cup and are drawn in a tough Group D against Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Netherlands and Nepal.