Shakib Al Hasan out of World Cup
NEW DELHI, Nov 7: The Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, who was at the centre of the “timed out” controversy involving Sri Lankan former captain Angelo Mathews on Monday, is out of the remaining World Cup schedules for his team.
Because of Shakib’s insistence not to withdraw the appeal against Mathews,” the on-field umpires were forced to declare him “timed out” making the Sri Lankan batsman the first international player in the 146 years history of cricket to be given out in such a manner.
However, on Tuesday, Shakib has been ruled out of his team’s final World Cup match due to an injury. Bangladesh are scheduled to take on the mighty Australia in their final World Cup fixture but Shakib would not be a part of the team for that fixture, having fractured a finger on his left hand. Though Bangladesh are already out of the World Cup semi-final race, they are still fighting for a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
It isn’t yet known for how long Shakib will be sidelined for the injury. But, his absence does impact Bangladesh’s chances against Australia, who are most likely to get a spot among the top four to figure in the semi-finals.
“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan was quoted as saying by the ICC on Tuesday. “He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.” Bangladesh are out of the reckoning for the semi-finals. They had defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in the inconsequential match on Monday.
As for the match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh’s triumph helped them stay alive in the fight for a top 7 spot in the World Cup standings. The game’s result, however, was overshadowed by the ‘timed out’ controversy. Mathews’ dismissal added another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the two teams when he was timed out.
(Manas Dasgupta)
