'Surgery up to Shakib'

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said yesterday that it will be Shakib Al Hasan who will take the final decision about surgery on his troublesome left little finger.

"Shakib rang me before leaving [to perform Hajj] and asked me what he should do. I just told him that… if you have pain and feel that it will create problems, then you take the decision about the surgery and I also told him that if you feel it will be possible for you to play the Asia Cup then you do it after the tournament. It will good for the team and it is you who have to take the decision," Hassan told reporters yesterday after the Milad and Dua programme for late BCB director and eminent sports organiser Afzalur Rahman Sinha at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Hassan earlier said that they could not envision playing without Shakib when the Bangladesh Test and T20I skipper -- soon after returning to the country after the West Indies tour -- expressed a desire to go under the knife before the Asia Cup.

The decision however will not depend solely on Shakib; the BCB medical team were also looking for advice from Australian orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Greg Hoy.

"Our physio [Thihan Chandramohan] already met with Hoy and discussed the surgery but Hoy wanted a fresh scan of the injured finger because he could not reach a decision based on the existing reports. Hoy even said that it would be easier for him to take a decision if Shakib visits him in Australia," informed BCB's chief physician Debashish Chowdhury yesterday.

"We will now communicate with Shakib [who will be in Mecca performing Hajj from August 19 to 24] regarding the development. The board and team management will decide about sending him to Australia, but we will do the scan after Shakib's return," he added.

The Tigers have a busy schedule ahead as the Asia Cup is set to begin from September 15, followed by back-to-back home series against Zimbabwe and West Indies in October and November.