Bangladesh received a massive blow ahead of the historic day-night Test against India in Kolkata. Their reserve opener Saif Hassan was on Wednesday ruled out owing to a finger injury.
As confirmed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the 21-year-old split the webbing of his finger while coming in as a substitute fielder during the first Test in Indore.
“The injury has not yet healed and the medical team is of the opinion that he will benefit from being rested to full recovery. Taking the state of injury into consideration, Saif has been ruled out of the second Test,” BCB said in a release.
The batsman was likely to make his debut in the historic pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens after regular openers Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes failing to impress in the series opener.
Hassan's injury means the embattled visitors will have to continue with the duo of Islam and Kayes, who managed all of 24 runs across two innings at Indore. The Bangladesh team landed in the city on Tuesday, even as their Indian counterparts arrived in batches.
India currently lead the two-match series 1-0 following their innings and 130-run win in the opener. The second Test match starts on Friday.