Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is still available for selection for the Kanpur Test against India starting Friday. Some media reports were claiming that the 37-year-old may skip the second and final Test of the series due to a left index finger injury.
But Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe confirmed that Shakib hasn't been ruled out by the team physio.
"At the moment, I haven't heard from my physio or from anyone. He is still eligible for selection," Hathurusinghe said after the team's first training session in Kanpur.
Flop-show vs India in Chennai
Bangladesh's premier cricketer had a terrible game against India in Chennai last week where he struggled with the ball, going wicketless from 21 overs in total. He was the most expensive bowler in India's second innings, conceding runs at an economy rate of over 6 per over.
Shakib was brought quite late into the attack on Day 1 by his captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, leading to speculation that he carried the finger injury into the tour of India. He had first suffered the injury during the ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka in India last year. He is also suffering from an eye problem and had a shoulder issue earlier this year.
His finger injury forced Shanto to play with four primary bowlers during the Test match which they eventually lost by 280 runs inside four days at Chepauk.
Bangladesh not worried about Shakib's form
But Harthurusinghe is not concerned about Shakib's form with the ball or bat despite his best player not performing to potential so far.
"I am not upset about his performance. Our overall performance, we could have done better. I am sure that he also thinks that he can perform better. We all know what he is capable of," the coach said.
