Mustafizur Rahman will travel to Birmingham next week for a medical assessment by Birmingham Phoenix despite being ruled out of the remainder of Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury, with the franchise withholding a final decision on his participation in The Hundred until they have evaluated his condition themselves.
The experienced left-arm pacer left the field after bowling six overs in the first ODI against Zimbabwe on Monday after suffering a hamstring strain, with a subsequent scan revealing a hamstring tear and meniscal degeneration in his right knee. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said he would require around four weeks to recover, with national team physiotherapist Bayezidul Islam Khan confirming he would return home to begin rehabilitation. However, Birmingham Phoenix moved quickly to clarify that his travel plans remained unchanged.
“Despite sustaining an injury during Bangladesh’s ODI against Zimbabwe on Monday, Mustafizur Rahman will join Birmingham Phoenix as originally planned,” the franchise said in a statement. “He will travel to Birmingham next week for an assessment by the Phoenix medical team.”
Phoenix Performance Director James Thomas elaborated on the franchise’s approach, making clear they intend to make their own evaluation before drawing any conclusions. “Following discussions with Mustafizur and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, it has been agreed that he will travel to Birmingham next week as planned for an assessment by our medical team. We will then be able to determine whether he will be available to take part in The Hundred this year,” Thomas said.
He added that the franchise remained optimistic while preparing for every eventuality. “We remain hopeful that Mustafizur will be able to play for Birmingham Phoenix this year. However, we will prepare for all possible outcomes following our assessment. Until then, we wish Mustafizur a speedy recovery and will continue to work closely with the BCB to ensure a coordinated approach in assessing his injury and planning the appropriate return-to-play protocol,” Thomas said.
Should the assessment deem the injury too serious for him to participate, the franchise may look to bring in a replacement. Mustafizur is set to become the first Bangladeshi cricketer to feature in The Hundred, with this year’s edition of England’s 100-ball competition beginning on 21 July.
