Mohammad Saifuddin likely to miss Bangladesh’s home series against Pakistan

Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin is set to miss the Tigers’ home series against Pakistan later this year in November-December. Debashish Chowdhury, the chief physician of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), confirmed the news and said that Saifuddin needs to rest for a month before he starts his rehabilitation.

Earlier, the Chittagong-born Saifuddin was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2021 due to a back problem. As per a team official, the speedster complained of pain on the left side of his back after Bangladesh’s match against Sri Lanka on October 24 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Saifuddin is now set for another prolonged break from international cricket. “He (Saifuddin) has a stress injury. After a month’s rest he will start his rehabilitation program,” Chowdhury was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz on Thursday, October 28.

Bangladesh will host Pakistan for three T20Is and two Tests, starting November 19. The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram will host the matches. The Tests are also a part of the 2021-23 World Test Championship title.

Rubel Hossain replaces Mohammad Saifuddin for World Cup

Saifuddin played four games for Bangladesh in the World Cup before getting ruled out. Rubel Hossain, who was in the reserves, was called upon as a replacement for the injured pacer. The Event Technical Committee of the World Cup approved Rubel as a replacement.

“We will understand the gravity of his injury after he returns back to Bangladesh but since he cannot make a comeback in the tournament we opted for a replacement,” Rabeed Imam, senior manager media & communications of BCB, said on Wednesday.

Saifuddin picked up five wickets in the World Cup at an economy rate of seven and scored 24 runs, including a 19-run cameo against PNG at Al Amerat. After Saifuddin was ruled out, Bangladesh included left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam for the game against England on October 27 in Abu Dhabi.

Saifuddin has had problems with his back for quite a while now. The youngster played the 2019 World Cup with cortisone injections, but missed a few games as well. After he couldn’t make a cut for some matches, he invited criticism.