There is uncertainty regarding the availability of veteran Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal for the upcoming Afghanistan Test, set to begin in Dhaka on June 14th, reports UNB.
Tamim recently complained about a recurring back pain that he has not fully recovered from. Habibul Bashar, a member of Bangladesh's selection panel, mentioned that Tamim batted well in the net session on Sunday without any issues. However, he had complained of pain on June 7th.
"He has been showing signs of recovery," Habibul said. "Nevertheless, his injury situation will be reassessed on June 13th."
This means that whether Tamim will be available for the Afghanistan team or not will be determined on the day before the match. However, Tamim has not trained as extensively as his teammates, so the extent of his injury remains unclear.
The Bangladesh team is already understaffed as regular captain Shakib Al Hasan is not in the squad due to a finger injury. If Tamim also misses this match, Bangladesh will face a stiff challenge from Afghanistan, who have been performing well in longer format cricket for some time.
While Bangladesh is preparing without Shakib, Afghanistan will also be without their premium spinner Rashid Khan, who is suffering from a lower-back injury.
Meanwhile, Litton Das is all set to lead the Bangladesh team in this Test in Dhaka. He has previously captained the Tigers in limited-overs cricket.
Bangladesh has played only one Test against Afghanistan before and lost that match.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
