DHAKA, March 4, 2022 (BSS) - Bangladesh's wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur

Rahim was declared fit to play the second and final T20 against Afghanistan
tomorrow (Saturday) after recovering fully from his thumb injury.

Mushfiqur Rahim injured his thumb of the right hand while batting in
practice, the day before the start of the T20 series. That injury knocked him
out of the first T20 which Bangladesh won by 61 runs.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) physio Bayzid Ul Islam declared Mushfiqur fit
in a video message today. He said that the experienced batter is fit for the
second T20.

"After the ball hit Mushfiqur's thumb two days ago, we did an X-ray. The X-
ray report did not show any fractures or anything bad, the X-rays came back
normal," Bayzid said.

"That's why we kept him under observation. He batted today, threw-down
without any discomfort. He also played spin and pace bowling. He's fine now.
He will be able to play in tomorrow's match. '

The team management did not take any risk with him in the first T20 even
though no problem was found in the X-ray.

After warming up in practice last Wednesday, Mushfiqur went to indoor for
batting practice. There he was hit on the finger by Shoriful Islam.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan was rushed to the team as cover for
Mushfiqur. However, he didn't play in the first match. With Mushfiqur
recovering, there is no chance of him playing in his second match.

But the question raised whether Bangladesh break the winning combination to
accommodate Mushfiqur in the second game. There is general sentiment that out
of form Naim Sheikh will be dropped to make a way for Mushfiqur even though
there was no official confirmation.