T20 World Cup 2021: Mahmudullah to miss Bangladesh’s first warm-up match due to ‘slight back pain’

Bangladesh have been faced with an injury concern prior to the 2021 T20 World Cup as their skipper Mahmudullah is set to miss the warm-up match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday due to a ‘slight back pain’. Selector Habibul Bashar said that the Tigers took the decision as a precautionary measure to make sure that their captain is up and running before their Group B games.

On October 14, Bangladesh are scheduled to lock horns with Ireland in another pre-tournament warm-up match in Abu Dhabi. Their Group games start on Sunday, October 17 with the match against Scotland at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), Al Amerat. Mahmudullah happens to be Bangladesh’s most successful T20 skipper after he toppled Mashrafe Mortaza.

Bashar focusses on giving Mahmudullah adequate rest

“[Mahmudullah] has a slight back pain. He won’t have time to rest during the tournament when there will be back-to-back matches. So we are not taking any risks now. He will not play tomorrow’s match; we will give him a bit of time. He is a seasoned player, so he can recover with a bit of rest, and prepare for the tournament,” Bashar was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Bangladesh became the first team to arrive for the T20 World Cup. They held a training camp in Al Amerat and also played a warm-up match against Oman A where they won by 60 runs. Bashar said dew will play a major role under the floodlights.

“While on tour, the players’ attitude is an important aspect; from what I have seen so far, they are confident. Of course things will be different during the main competition, but we needed this confidence ahead of the tournament,” he said.

“The wickets are fresh in Oman. It hasn’t held a lot of matches. They are true wickets. The bowlers get good purchase, and it is good for batting. Spinners won’t get much turn. There’s considerable dew in the evenings,” Bashar added.

Bangladesh will go into the tournament on the back of three consecutive T20I series wins over Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand. Mustafizur Rahman has already joined the national team after finishing his IPL duties. Shakib Al Hasan is still playing in the tournament and will join the Tigers in due course.

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