No Tamim in India ODIs

Bangladesh One-Day International skipper Tamim Iqbal will miss their three-match ODI series against India, starting on December 4, as he will not recover in time from a groin injury.

Tamim suffered his injury on Wednesday during a training match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Scans were done on him that day, of which results came out on Thursday, and those suggested that Tamim would not be fit for the ODI series.

“He is definitely ruled out of the ODI series and possibly the first Test against India,” Bangladesh national team chief selector Minhajul Abedin told AFP on Thursday.

Bangladesh are now without a captain for their series against India as BCB did not appoint a fixed deputy for Tamim while appointing him.

BCB President Nazmul Hassan, while talking to the media at SBNCS on Thursday afternoon, had said that they will choose who will lead the side after they were sure that Tamim was ruled out.

“We will take the decision (regarding who will lead in the absence of Tamim) later. At first, we have to know how long he will be out. If it’s for a match, then it’s one thing. If it’s for the whole series, then something else. We cannot make this decision in a hurry. We have to have the whole information before making the decision,” he told the reporters.

Tamim is not the only injury concern for Bangladesh as they will also not have the services of pacer Taskin Ahmed in the first ODI of the series as he is suffering from back pain.

“Taskin has been suffering from back pain. He will not play in the first ODI. We’ll see his fitness before playing him in the remaining matches,” Minhajul said.

Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam has been brought into the squad to give Bangladesh a new option in Taskin’s absence.

India arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday evening, and both teams will start training today. The first two ODIs will be played at the SBNCS in Dhaka on December 4 and 7, with the third ODI being held at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on December 10.

The first of the two-match Test series will begin in Chattogram on December 14 before the second Test commencing in Dhaka on December 22.