Bangladesh’s star all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan after failing to recover from an injury. Shakib was included in the initial squad for the first Test but his participation in the match was subject to fitness.
Shakib suffered a hamstring injury during Bangladesh’s encounter against the West Indies in the Super 12s stage of the recently concluded 2021 T20 World Cup. Thus, he was also ruled out of the mega event for the remaining matches. It was expected that Shakib will recover in time for the first Test match against Pakistan but he has yet to regain full fitness.
The 34-year old is a crucial part of Bangladesh’s red-ball setup and the Tigers will deeply miss his services for the first Test match between the two nations. Shakib’s participation in the second Test is also in doubt as Bangladesh’s chief selector hinted that Shakib needs further rehabilitation to fully recover from the hamstring injury. The chief selector said that Shakib has been working hard to get back to match fitness and is working alongside the national team’s physiotherapist.
Despite Shakib’s injury, Bangladeshis are confident of putting on a much better display this time around after a horrid show in the T20I series. They lost the three-match T20I series by 3-0 and went winless in the Super 12s stage in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh is set to begin on Friday, 26 November at Chittagong. The Test series is a part of the World Test Championship.
