Mosaddek gets a lifeline

Mosaddek Hossain , the young all-rounder, was supposed to end his tour of New Zealand at the end of the limited-overs leg, which ended yesterday with the third T20I. However, injuries to crucial players have forced the Bangladesh team management to keep the 21-year-old as a back-up player for the upcoming Tests.

The final T20I yesterday saw three Bangladeshi players -- Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes -- get injured. While Mashrafe is returning home, Tamim and Imrul are in the Test squad. In addition, Bangladesh will hope their Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim -- who was injured in the first ODI -- will be a hundred per cent fit prior to the first Test.

According to a press release sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Tamim hurt his left thumb while fielding and also had an X-ray after the match. "The thumb is sore but the X-ray has come clear. We will review his condition after 48 hours," said Bangladesh physio Dean Conway.

The physio also informed that opener Imrul Kayes, whose left knee hit the digital board near the boundary's edge during an attempted catch, did not require a scan today but will be assessed after 48 hours.

Mosaddek may not have found a spot in the Test team yet, but the youngster has produced impressive numbers in first-class cricket. His current batting average is 70.89. His first prominent first-class score was 250, a score he posted against Dhaka Metropolis on February 16, 2015. A week later, he hammered 282 against Chittagong.

He managed to score two successive double centuries in his first six first-class games. The youngster carried on the momentum from there. He recorded 50-plus scores in 11 consecutive first-class games.