Nidahas Trophy 2018: Massive Setback For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan Ruled Out

In what will come as a major setback for the Bangladesh team, captain Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the Nidahas Trophy due to a finger injury. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Saturday that the star all-rounder is still nursing a finger injury and will be unavailable for the tri-nation Twenty20 tournament also involving hosts Sri Lanka and India. The Nidahas Trophy will start in Colombo on Tuesday with the hosts Sri Lanka taking on No.1-ranked Team India. Shakib had injured his finger in the final of the tri-nation ODI series that Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka in Dhaka in January.

Shakib was unavailable for the two-Test series and the two-match T20 series against Sri Lanka in January/February. Bangladesh lost the Test series 0-1 and were outplayed 0-2 in the T20 series.

Bangladesh included Shakib in the squad for the Nidahas Trophy in the hope that he would recover at some stage of the tournament.

The BCB last week sent Shakib to Thailand for an expert opinion on his injured finger, where doctors said it would need more time to heal.

Interim Bangladesh coach Courtney Walsh said Shakib should not be rushed back to play cricket.

"We will give him the time, as long as he takes to get ready," Walsh said at a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday ahead of the team's departure for Sri Lanka.

"Guys have to understand and work around that. When you have a world-class player like Shakib, you give him every opportunity to get fit.

"He is a hard player to replace overnight. He does everything -- bat, bowl, field and captain. As soon as he is well enough to play, we will have to get him there," he said.

Vice-captain Mahmudullah Riyad will lead the side in the T20 tournament in Shakib's absence.

Shakib has been replaced in the squad by batsman Liton Das.

Bangladesh will face India in their opening match of the tournament on Thursday.

(With AFP Inputs)