Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the remainder of Bangladesh’s Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign due to an injury. This comes just a day after the controversial ‘timed out’ incident involving Shakib and Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews. Bangladesh’s final World Cup match is against Australia, but Shakib will not be able to participate as he has fractured a finger on his left hand. While Bangladesh is already out of the semi-final race, they are still fighting for a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The duration of Shakib’s absence is not yet known, but it does impact Bangladesh’s chances against Australia, who are almost guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals. Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan stated that Shakib was struck on his left index finger during his innings but continued to play with supportive taping and painkillers. After the game, he underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. The estimated recovery time is three to four weeks, and Shakib will return to Bangladesh today to begin his rehabilitation.
In their match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh’s victory kept them in the fight for a top 7 spot in the World Cup standings. Shakib, who scored 82 runs and took 2 wickets for 57 runs, and Najmul Hossain Shanto (90) shared a 169-run partnership off 147 balls, laying the foundation for the successful run-chase of 280 runs. However, the result of the game was overshadowed by the ‘timed out’ controversy.
During the match, Mathews was timed out, marking the first instance of this dismissal in international cricket across formats. Mathews came in to bat after Sadeera Samarawickrama got out on the second ball of the 25th over off Shakib’s bowling. However, Mathews was not ready to face the ball within two minutes because the strap of his helmet was broken. This delay led Bangladesh to appeal, and despite Mathews’ pleas, the umpires upheld the decision.
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who have four points each, need to finish in the top 8 to qualify for the Champions Trophy.
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