Mahmudullah injury ahead of World Cup gives Bangladesh a scare

He is one of the major pillars of Bangladesh batting but a serious shoulder injury might put Mahmudullah out of the ICC World Cup starting next month in England. The 33-year-old batting all-rounder had hurt himself a couple of months ago and it got aggravated by diving during Bangladesh’s first Test against New Zealand recently in which he was leading.

He was there captaining the side since regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan had to miss out due to an injury. The MRI report of Mahmudullah’s injury revealed that the player has a grade-3 tear, it was confirmed on Monday. The MRI test was conducted in New Zealand and BCB chief physician Debashish Chowdhury conceded that the report was received on Monday although the details were not divulged.

“We received the MRI report of Mahmudullah today and it reveals he had a grade- three tear. We have recommended him rest for 15 days and later we will start his rehabilitation program,” Cricbuzz quoted a BCB source as saying.

“We will follow conservative treatment process and if that fails to heal him than we might need operation. He can do his fitness training but we advised that he should not have any session that can force him to take some kind of a load. This injury is quite similar to the one that Mustafizur received but in most cases, it becomes a major concern for pace bowlers. So we are hoping that he will recover with conservative treatment.”

Mahmudullah says he is not well

A veteran of 171 ODIs in which he has scored over 3,600 runs and took 76 wickets, Mahmudullah is set to play in his third WC after 2011 and 2015. However, though the BCB official was hopeful that the cricketer would be able to take part in the WC with the injury, the 33-year-old himself told the news outlet in Mirpur that he is not well.

“The injury is quite similar to the one that Mustafiz had so I may need an operation if it is not healed properly,” he was quoted as saying.

In 2016, Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman had to undergo surgery for a SLAP (Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior) tear and was ruled out for next months. Mahmudullah has been advised to take rest for a week before the physio takes a decision on him.

Bangladesh will play a couple of practice games against Pakistan and India in late May before launching their campaign in the World Cup against South Africa at the Oval on June 2.

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