Tamim's Asia Cup uncertain

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal is expected to travel to England on Thursday to consult a specialised doctor about his left hand's fractured index finger knuckle. The southpaw sustained the injury during the Asia cup opener against Sri Lanka at the bowling of Suranga Lakmal and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.

According to the Bangladesh Cricket Board's chief physician Debashish Chowdhury, the cricketer has already taken x-rays and the reports have already been sent to specialists in Australia and England.

"Tamim had his x-ray done and we have already sent that to England and Australia. We already received a response from England but we are still waiting for a response from Australia. At the moment we are sending him to England immediately to consult with doctor David, not for a surgery though as it will be better for the doctor to have a look at his injury in person," Debashish told The Daily Star yesterday.

Meanwhile, Tamim informed that he still experiences some pain in the injured area and he hopes that surgery will not be required.

"Many may have thought that I injured my wrist but that's not true as I have fractured the knuckle on my left hand's index finger. What we are worried about is whether the bone is placing in the right area or not and it's slightly away from where it should have been. The doctors are thinking that if I do a surgery now then my joint may get stiff so they are trying to settle this without surgery and if there is any problem in future they will work accordingly. The fracture is very close to the joint so let's see if the doctors say anything new but I will continue in a conservative way.

"I have an appointment with the doctor in England on Friday and I am expected to travel day after tomorrow [Thursday] where the doctor will change the plaster and have a look at the injured area," Tamim told The Daily Star yesterday.

It has become common knowledge that even though he played a delivery one-handed after coming in at number 11 to allow Bangladesh's innings to continue in Saturday's Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka, a fractured wrist has effectively ruled Tamim Iqbal out of the rest of the event.

News has been doing the rounds that he will be out for six weeks, but there has not been any official confirmation from anyone within the BCB or team management. After Saturday's match, which Bangladesh won by 137 runs, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said that they were not yet sure what would happen and that there would be another scan in two days. He will visit a specialist in Dubai tomorrow, who will decide whether he needs surgery.

"We have to have him checked by a specialist before saying anything official," said team manager Khaled Mahmud. "He is definitely out of the next match, we don't know about the rest. I don't know where the six-week figure came from; I have not heard a doctor say that."

If the dillydallying is to keep the other teams guessing about Bangladesh's most feared batsman, that can hardly be effective given that -- except India -- all the other teams are staying at the same hotel and can see Tamim's left arm in a sling. There seems to be very little sense in the ambiguity.

Before the start of the tournament Bangladesh players had been saying that their target was to win the Asia Cup with captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza getting the players together and telling them during session that the team was not going to the UAE just to make up the numbers.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who has been Tigers' saviour in more than one occasion in this tournament knows a thing or two about playing pressure matches against one of their biggest Asian rivals India, who have a certain mental edge over Bangladesh having beaten the Tigers in a closely-fought contest recently in the Nidahas Trophy final where Dinesh Karthik hit a six off the very last ball to clinch the three-nation tournament's final. Mushfiqur, having played many tight contests against India can gauge the level of pressure that accompanies crucial encounters like finals and knows that putting pressure on opposition players who are also 'human beings' can and will work to Bangladesh's advantage.

"Confidence is there although we haven't played our best yet, I feel, in the three departments.

"We have been struggling in the batting group in the top order. If we click there against India [it could make a difference] – and you know India are playing outstanding cricket in this tournament, but they are also human beings and they are bound to make mistakes," he said.

After yesterday's victory in the do-or-die in virtual semifinal game, Tigers are once again just a step away from realizing their dreams, having twice made the final in the last three editions of the tournament. The Asia Cup dream is once again possible and Tigers' batsman Mushfiqur reiterated that they have been working on their goal of reaching the final first.

"Of course it is possible [winning the Asia Cup] . People live in dream and hope. And this was our target before the Asia Cup, that we at least make the final. Then in the championship match if we play our best cricket, then what will happen will happen. Since we have worked this hard and come this far, we of course have a chance."

Tigers were outplayed by India in the last edition of the tournament which was a T20 tournament. However, Mushfiqur said that since Bangladesh have been able to win against India before, the task in front of them is not impossible.

"If we can play our best cricket, then beating India is not impossible – we've done it before. Maybe we have not done it as consistently as we would have liked," he concluded.