Shoriful Islam, who was ruled out of the series opener against Australia due to a hamstring injury, has started bowling at close to full intensity as he continues his return-to-play programme ahead of the second Test.
The left-arm pacer, who sustained the injury during the ODI series against Zimbabwe, began his progressive bowling programme on July 29. According to the rehabilitation plan prepared by the national team’s medical staff, Shoriful is following a structured bowling workload programme before being cleared for Test cricket.
As part of the process, he has been bowling 5–6 overs with a one-day gap, gradually building towards his required workload. Although his fitness test was originally scheduled for August 12, a source close to the development revealed that it could be brought forward to August 10, depending on weather conditions.
When asked whether the fitness test date could be shifted, BCB physiotherapist Muzadded Alfa Sany told TIMES of Bangladesh, “We are considering bringing the fitness test forward from the 12th to the 10th, provided the weather is favourable. If not, we’ll conduct it on the 11th or 12th.”
However, Sany made it clear that fitness is not the concern in Shoriful’s case. The pacer is fit enough to play, but he is yet to complete the required bowling workload needed for Test cricket.
“The fitness test itself won’t be the deciding factor. The main issue is his bowling workload. If there were no concerns regarding his bowling workload, he could have played in the first Test itself,” Sany said.
“He will get to 100% intensity. But before we clear him to play a Test, we cannot let him go without completing the amount of bowling workload that is required for a Test match in a week”, he added.
For fast bowlers returning from injury, teams generally follow workload models to ensure they can handle the demands of Test cricket. A pacer is usually expected to demonstrate the ability to bowl sustained spells at high intensity before returning to the longest format.
Sany explained that Shoriful’s workload is being monitored through a data-based system used by the national team.
“Yes, there is a calculation system for this. There is software that generates the calculation, and the national team’s strength and conditioning staff work based on that data. The plan of how many overs he will bowl on which date is being followed accordingly,” he said.
Sany also explained that reaching full intensity and completing workload are two different stages of the recovery process.
“As for full intensity, he started bowling at full intensity from the third day itself. When he initially started bowling under my supervision, he bowled at around 70% intensity on the first day. Then it increased to 80–90%, and gradually progressed. The bowling workload only starts being counted once he reaches 100% intensity,” he said.
