Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin cleared for West Indies tour

After a successful practice session on May 14 (Saturday) at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, Bangladeshi all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin has been permitted to join the team for the West Indies tour. He made an unexpected appearance at the Tigers’ net practice in Chattogram after Shakib Al Hasan dominated the headlines on May 13 (Friday) by joining the squad.

While Shakib’s status as a no-show for the first Test was reversed after he returned negative for the coronavirus, Saifuddin’s bowling at the nets was equally surprising, given that he is not in the Test team for the Sri Lanka series and has never played a Test for Bangladesh.

After bowling to Shakib in the nets, Saifuddin was called in primarily for the purpose of undergoing a fitness test. He was forced to withdraw from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 owing to an injury and has not represented his side in an international match ever since. Due to his recuperation, he missed the BPL and instead played in the just-finished Dhaka Premier League.

Saifuddin is doing fine and is fit: BCB official

National selectors informed local media agencies on Saturday that they sought Saifuddin to undertake a fitness test ahead of Bangladesh’s forthcoming series against the West Indies in June and July, during which the side would play two Tests between June 16 and June 28, followed by three T20Is and as many ODIs.

“Saifuddin is doing fine and is fit. He is going to West Indies,” a BCB official close to the development told The Daily Star.

Saifuddin had been completing his recovery activities at Feni after returning from England following a back injury. He has lately shown potential in the DPL, and the selectors will be hopeful he can quickly rediscover his previous form in the national setup.

Bangladesh is currently hosting Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series, with the first match of the first Test having started on May 15. Both the teams are coming off a loss from their previous games. While the Lankans suffered a defeat against India, the Tigers suffered a 0-2 defeat against South Africa. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first.