Tamim to consult specialist in England

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.