Shakib might miss Asia Cup due to finger surgery

In what could turn out to be a body blow to Bangladesh’s chances, Shakib Al Hasan is set to miss the Asia Cup slated to be played in UAE in September.

In what could turn out to be a body blow to Bangladesh’s chances, Shakib Al Hasan is set to miss the Asia Cup slated to be played in UAE in September.

Suffering from a finger injury sustained in the T20 tri-series final against Sri Lankan in January, Shakib declared that he requires a surgery to regain full fitness. The Bangladesh T20 captain plans to go under the knife prior to the Asia Cup, making it near impossible for him to be available for the tournament.

"I have to do a surgery. So the discussion now is about when to do it. I want it to happen as soon as possible. It will most probably be before the Asia Cup," Shakib said.

The possibility of Shakib not being available for a tournament of the Asia Cup’s stature, has not go down well with BCB president Nazmul Hasan.

'Shakib called me and informed me that he needed an operation. The head coach also called me and mentioned that it is necessary because he is not getting the strength that is required for batting. If that is the case, he will go for a six-week break,' Nazmul told reporters on Thursday 9 August.

'It is difficult to get such a long break. First, we planned whether we can do it in between a series but as that is not the case, he needs to skip a tournament or a series. But we cannot think of playing without him,' Nazmul said. "He can be operated before the Asia Cup or after the Asia Cup or during the series against Zimbabwe."

The all-rounder has been in and out of the Bangladesh side because of reoccurrence of the finger injury, making it necessary for him to undergo a surgery. He missed the subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka and the initial few matches of the Nidahas Trophy.

He did, however, made a strong comeback in the recently-concluded limited overs series against West Indies and played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s series win after a confidence-denting defeat in the Test series.