Shakib Al Hasan doubtful for Kanpur Test due to finger injury

Shakib Al Hasan suffered a blow to his finger from a Jasprit Bumrah bouncer in Chennai, which could rule him out of the Kanpur Test. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials stated on Monday (September 23) that the star all-rounder will undergo a medical assessment in the following days, which will decide his availability for the second Test, starting on September 27. 

"We are heading to Kanpur tomorrow [Tuesday] and today is a day off. We will have two sessions afterwards, and we will judge after that [regarding Shakib's availability in the second Test], and we don't want to make a decision yet," Hannan Sarkar, a member of the BCB's selection panel, told reporters at Chennai on September 23 (Monday).

"These two days, the physio has kept him under observation. When we get back to the ground, we will get the physio's feedback. We have to think before picking Shakib for the next match, and there is time before the next match. We will see what condition he is in," Sarkar clarified further.

The left-hander took the field with heavy strapping on his fingers on Day 1 of the Chennai Test, which prompted the Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto to summon Shakib to bowl only after 50 overs of play. 

Shanto insisted that he didn’t require Shakib’s bowling due to the pace-friendly nature of the Chennai surface, and consequently, he didn’t want to complicate Shakib’s injury. However, he dealt a blow from a rising delivery from Bumrah that left his right-hand fingers bleeding to make the situation worse. 

"I didn't really need him in the first innings, seeing how the three pace bowlers were doing. Miraz, too, was bowling well. It was my plan to keep the fast bowlers on for longer. We took six wickets quickly too," he said.

"His [Shakib's] finger was taped. He was bleeding from his finger from the last time he was hit there. I didn't really need him in the first innings, seeing how the three pace bowlers were doing,” Shanto had said. 

Shakib’s unavailability would be a big blow for Bangladesh who are 0-1 down in the two-match Test series. 

"We know the pain in his hand is being discussed. It was not there before the match and many have tried to explain it in different ways. But before the match, we got a 100 percent clearance from the physio before taking him. He was a 100 percent fit then," Hannan added on Shakib's situation.

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