In a crushing blow to the Bangladesh team, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has tested positive for COVID19. The team is set to play the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on May 15 in Chattogram. However, with Hasan down with the deadly disease, he won’t be able to play the game. The all-rounder was supposed to join the team on May 11.
According to the press release from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the left-hander will self-isolate and will be tested after a while. Notably, the team hasn’t announced any replacement. This is a big blow to the team that has lost another all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraj to injury. However, he has been replaced by Mosaddek Hossain, who has played only three games in the longest format.
Also, the team is missing the services of their lead pacer, Taskin, who sustained a shoulder injury last month. He has been replaced by Shoriful Islam, who is subjected to fitness. For the unversed, Hasan hasn’t a game in Whites since playing against Pakistan last December. Since then, he missed out on the two-match series in New Zealand and South Africa each.
He missed the New Zealand series due to personal reasons while during the South Africa tour, one of his family members fell ill which is why he flew back. The team was counting on him to provide stability to the team’s batting, which was found wanting against the Proteas. During that series, the team was all-out on 53 and 80 in two different games.
Talking about the series, the Tigers are hosting Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series with the second game to start on May 23 in Mirpur. The series is part of the World Test Championship cycle 2021-23. Currently, the hosts are languishing at the eighth position in the nine-team competition started last August. They have won only solitary, against New Zealand, which was a historic given they were playing in the Kiwi backyard.
However, they have lost five games and would like to win both games against Sri Lanka to recover from the early jolts
