Dhaka: Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana is set to miss the third and deciding T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday with a side strain, throwing serious doubt over his availability for next month’s Test tour of Australia.
The 23-year-old suffered the injury in the second T20I series opener against Zimbabwe after taking a T20I best of 4-26.
Rana was forced off the field after bowling just 2.3 overs and finishing with figures of 1-15 in the second game. He is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks.
A member of Bangladesh’s national selection committee confirmed that the pacer will definitely miss the series decider while the team awaits the results of scans to ascertain the extent of the injury.
“He will definitely miss the third T20I against Zimbabwe and we think the side strain will take at least two to three weeks to heal,” the selector said.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed and waiting for the scan report as the first Test against Australia is still some time away.”
“The way he is bowling now, it will be a big blow to miss him on the Australian tour. We are waiting to assess the severity of the injury and how long it will take for him to recover,” he added.
Rana is set to prove his fitness in the first Test against Australia, which starts on August 13 in Darwin.
Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Sandhu and the national selectors met at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday to discuss preparations for the Australia series, with Rana’s fitness emerging as one of the main topics.
The right-arm quick has become an integral part of Bangladesh’s pace attack in recent months, and his absence ahead of the two-match Test series is a significant concern.
The opening Test in Darwin will be followed by the second and final Test in Mackay starting on August 22.