Rubel out, Abul in

Abul Hasan

Bangladesh will go into the second Test in Dhaka against Pakistan with an unexpected change as pacer Rubel Hossain has been left out of the squad due to a side-strain. The 25-year-old has been replaced with Abul Hasan.

According to a press release from the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Rubel was in pain during the fourth day of the first Test in Khulna and as a result underwent a scan on Monday in Dhaka, which confirmed the injury.

"The result confirmed a Grade 1 strain on the left side. It takes about three to four weeks to recover from such injuries. He will begin his rehab in the next couple of days," said national team physio Bayjedul Islam.

The confirmation of Rubel's injury in a way explained as to why the pacer wasn't given the ball during a number of crucial moments of the first Test.

During the last session of Day 3, for instance, many expected Rubel to get one last burst before stumps. While he was given the ball with eight overs remaining on that day, he was taken off after just two overs.

While the hero of Bangladesh in the World Cup won't be featuring in the second Test, it could be an opportunity for Abul to turn the tables on his career. The last time he played a Test was in Colombo, back in March 2013.

He went under the knife a number of times ever since and while he did feature in the Zimbabwe series last year and also played an ODI against Pakistan, he is yet to make a proper international comeback.

The 22-year-old was smacked all over the park by Pakistan in the first ODI and his bowling hasn't been consistent in the recent past. However, with Shafiul Islam injured and Robiul Islam out of the picture due to fitness issues, Bangladesh's selection committee doesn't have much of a choice.

While the squad was announced yesterday, there wasn't much action from the hosts at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was one of the players to hit the nets.

The team's other senior players, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, visited the ICDDRB. On behalf of the BCB, the players provided the organisation with a bat that included the signatures of the members of the Bangladesh's World Cup squad.

At the programme, the left-hander exuded confidence with regards to the second Test. "As a team I believe that we can hold on to our performance and continue doing well in this series. That will be our target," said Shakib.