It’s 50-50, says Taskin on injury

Bangladesh's pace spearhead Taskin Ahmed suffered an injury to his rib cage during the fourth game of the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, upsetting the team's plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. 

The 29-year-old pacer looked in supreme form during the first four matches of the series, taking eight wickets and winning the player of the series award.

"I still have pain. Will do the scan and later can say about the severity of the injury but it seems 50-50," Taskin, casting doubts over his inclusion for the T20 mega event starting on June 2, told reporters before leaving the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury told The Daily Star: "Taskin has an injury on his 12th rib on the right side which he suffered while diving in the last (fourth) game. He also had considerable pain today and we are sending him for scan."

The BCB physician further said that they can only confirm whether there is a fracture after getting the scan report. "In cases of side strain, initially there is quite a bit of pain for the first two-three days whether fracture is there or not."

Talking to reporters during the match, BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon said that they would wait for the report to take a decision on the treatment of the player as well as the announcement of the squad for the T20 World Cup today.

As things stand, a repeat of the grim event in 2019 looms when the pacer was left in tears when an injury forced him out of the squad for the 50-over that year.
The Bangladesh team are scheduled to play three matches in the USA against the hosts on May 21, 23 and 25 as preparation for the World Cup.