Bangladesh’s fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will be missing the upcoming T20I series in Pakistan owing to a thumb injury sustained during the IPL. Khaled Ahmed has been named as his replacement for the series.
During an IPL match against Punjab Kings on 24 May, Mustafizur, playing for Delhi Capitals, injured his left hand attempting a caught and bowled from Josh Inglis. Bangladesh’s physio, Delowar Hossain, mentioned that this injury might require up to three weeks of recovery.
“Mustafizur suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his last match of the Indian Premier League yesterday,” Hossain explained. “This injury requires a period of rest and rehabilitation. As per our current assessment, he will be unavailable for selection for the next two to three weeks. We will conduct a follow-up evaluation after two weeks to monitor his recovery progress.”
Mustafizur is the third player to be ruled out of the squad for the Pakistan series, beginning on 28 May in Lahore. Earlier, Nahid Rana withdrew due to personal reasons and Soumya Sarkar suffered a back injury, leading to Mehidy Hasan Miraz stepping in as his replacement.
Khaled Ahmed, stepping in for Mustafizur, has had an impressive 2024-25 season, claiming 77 wickets across formats with an average of 21.74. In the recent BPL season, he took 20 wickets at an average of 21.55.
The Bangladesh team is set to face Pakistan in three T20Is in Lahore on 28 and 30 May, and 1 June. This series follows their 2-1 loss to the UAE in a T20I series held in Sharjah.
