Bangladesh’s preparations for their two-Test series in Australia have been overshadowed by injuries to Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam and Litton Das, with selectors waiting on scan reports before finalising the squad.
Nahid, who suffered a side strain during the second T20I against Zimbabwe, managed only 2.3 overs before leaving the field. He missed the final match of the series and returns to Bangladesh with the squad on Wednesday, when he will undergo a scan to determine the next stage of his rehabilitation.
With recovery expected to take around three weeks, his availability for the first Test against Australia, beginning in Darwin on 13 August, remains uncertain. Selectors, however, are unwilling to make a call just yet.
“Nahid Rana will arrive on Wednesday. He was not scanned in Zimbabwe after sustaining the injury. He will undergo a scan after returning to Bangladesh, and we will have a clear picture then,” a member of the national selection panel told Times of Bangladesh on condition of anonymity.
Shoriful presents a further concern. The left-arm pacer flew home from Zimbabwe midway through the ODI series with a hamstring injury and began rehabilitation at the BCB Academy ground on Tuesday. His recovery, too, could take roughly three weeks, leaving his place in the opening Test in doubt, though team management remain hopeful he will be fit in time.
“As far as the reports we have received so far are concerned, Shoriful is doing well. Our physio arrives tomorrow, and we will have more details then. So far he is fine and has started his rehabilitation. If there are no complications, he should recover,” the panel member said.
Litton, meanwhile, is undergoing further assessment after his calf injury failed to settle fully. He was ruled out of Bangladesh’s T20I series against Australia after picking up the injury in the final ODI against the same side, and although expected to return in Zimbabwe, worsening pain sent him home without playing a match. He has since withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League, where he was due to play for Galle Gladiators.
A scan in Bangladesh found nothing significant, but with the pain persisting, Litton has since travelled to Singapore for further investigation, where he is undergoing physiotherapy ahead of another scan.
“Nothing was found in the scan at that time. He was sent to Zimbabwe because the scan report was perfect. But as the pain returned, he went to Singapore for further investigation. He will undergo a scan today or tomorrow,” a senior BCB medical department official said.
Mustafizur Rahman remains sidelined too. Having featured in one ODI in Zimbabwe, he returned home with a hamstring tear and meniscal degeneration in his right knee, and continues rehabilitation under the BCB, though he is not part of Bangladesh’s Test plans.
With the World Test Championship assignment approaching, Bangladesh’s concerns remain centred on Nahid, Shoriful and Litton, with the squad hinging on their scan results.
“We are waiting for these reports. We will announce the squad depending on the reports,” the selector concluded.
