Rangpur find Babar relief in Shakib's absence

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is currently in Singapore for eye checkups and his immediate future in BPL will remain under doubt until the matter is disclosed by BCB medical department.

Shakib played the first match for Rangpur Riders against Fortune Barishal and scored just two before being castled by pacer Khaled Ahmed. Later in the post-match press conference, Rangpur skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan said that Shakib "has been struggling with an eyesight problem for some time now".

The problem first surfaced at the World Cup in India last year. Shakib saw ophthalmologists in India and then in Bangladesh after returning to the country following the World Cup. Yesterday Shakib had checkups in Singapore.

PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED

"Shakib saw the doctor today (yesterday) but we haven't gotten a summary yet. The reports in India, Dhaka and England have all turned up pretty similar till now," a member of BCB medical team told The Daily Star yesterday.

"It's standard practice to take different opinions but he is still under accommodative treatment. We still have to wait for conclusive findings regarding his eyes. Shakib would go through another checkup tomorrow [Tuesday]," he said, adding that there is also no certainty that Shakib would be returning after check-up on Tuesday.

A BCB official said on condition of anonymity that "Shakib may need surgery". It is understood that surgery may see Shakib miss a few phases of the BPL's ongoing season.

Though Rangpur are in a spot of bother without their star player, they found sweet relief with Pakistan's Babar Azam joining them on Monday night.

Babar did not get much time for acclimatisation or acquaintance as he turned up for today's match against Sylhet Sixers.