Bangladesh captain undergoes knee surgery

Dhaka:

Bangladesh's injured captain Mashrafe Mortaza will be out of action for six weeks after undergoing surgery on both knees in Australia on Monday, officials said.

An arthroscopic surgery was conducted on the fast bowler by surgeon David Young at the Avenue Hospital in Melbourne, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said in a statement.

"Dr Young is confident that Mortaza would be able to start running after three weeks and should return to cricket action after six weeks of rehabilitation."

Mortaza, 25, was quoted in the statement as saying: "I feel a lot relieved now. The surgery went well. I hope to be fit for the next international series."

Mortaza hurt his right knee while bowling in the first Test match against the West Indies at Kingstown, St Vincent, last month.

He missed the rest of the tour in which Bangladesh won both Tests and three one-day internationals against a weakened West Indian side missing top players due to a wage strike.

Bangladesh are currently touring Zimbabwe for five one-day matches with Mortaza's deputy, Shakib Al Hasan, leading the team.