Injured Mortaza doubtful for World Cup

Dhaka:

Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza sustained an injury to his right knee during a domestic match, the country's cricket board said, putting his World Cup appearance in doubt.

Tests confirmed Mortaza sustained a near-complete tear of his reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement on Wednesday.

After consulting a number of physicians, including Australia's David Young, the board declined to make any predictions on whether the injury would affect Mortaza's chances of playing in the World Cup starting in February.

The injury-prone bowler returned to international cricket in October, against New Zealand, after he had been ruled out for months due to injuries he sustained during Bangladesh's tour of the West Indies in July, 2009.

But he sprained his ankle in the first match against New Zealand and was ruled out of the series again before returning against Zimbabwe in December.

A 30-man preliminary squad named by the board for the World Cup includes Mortaza.

But his chances of playing in the showcase event, which will be jointly hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, are slim as generally any injury to the ACL takes months to heal fully.

The board's statement said Mortaza would rest for 10 days and his condition will be reviewed after three days.