Shakib ruled out of NZ ODIs

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan sustained an injury to his left ring finger during the final of the sixth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League and has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled to start on February 13.

"An X-ray was done after the match and the results have confirmed a fracture on the left ring finger. The affected area will now have to be immobilised for around three weeks," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Dr. Debashish Chowdhury was quoted as saying in a BCB media release.

The ace all-rounder's previous injury that he sustained during the tri-nation series final against Sri Lanka last year, saw him dislocate his left little finger -- an injury that rendered him unable to even grip the bat before a crucial do-or-die match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and eventually forced him to return to the country without finishing the tournament.

Shakib's injury relapse during the Asia Cup, left him in a critical state in September immediately upon return and he had to undergo an emergency surgery to get pus out of his finger. During October last year he left for Australia to seek treatment to his injured finger. He returned with the news that there was no possibility of undergoing surgery in the next six to 12 months, adding that the best outcome would be to be able to play without surgery.

He then returned to action in the home Test and ODI series against West Indies before playing the BPL this year. According to BCB's release, Shakib had sustained his latest injury while batting yesterday, although it is not the left little finger this time around. The injury comes as a big blow for the Tigers, who are looking to gauge their performances in New Zealand with the World Cup in mind. It is a bigger blow for Shakib after he had spent a big chunk of time on the sidelines last year. While the injury rules him out of the ODI series, given recuperation time and fitness issues, Shakib may even be unavailable for the start of the Test series, scheduled to start from February 28.

Taskin Ahmed, who was named in both the Test and ODI side for the upcoming tour, also sustained an injury during BPL this year and was ruled out of the tour. Shafiul Islam and Ebadat Hossain were named as Taskin's replacement in the ODI and Test side respectively. A replacement is yet to be named for Shakib but since he is an all-rounder, the team management might opt to include one spinner and one batsman into the side as his replacement. Taijul Islam and Nazmul Islam could be possible replacements while two batsmen from the Test side in Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque are already in New Zealand. Since captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is currently travelling to New Zealand, a replacement has not been decided upon.