Baisya out of the Test series
Tapash Baisya, the right-arm fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series for failing to recover from an ankle injury
Cricinfo staff
10-Sep-2005
 |
|
Baisya, who was originally not included in the one-day squad due to this injury, was sent to Colombo as a replacement for Mashrafe Mortaza - who had failed to recover from a back spasm. Tapash hit 54 in the drawn three-day practice match, and bowled only 11 overs as his ankle began to trouble him again.
"While bowling yesterday, he had a reccurrence of his ankle injury that he suffered during the England tour," Paul Close, the Bangladesh physio, was quoted as saying in The Daily Star. It is at such a level that we couldn't keep him in the tour. He has a small bony spur on his heel, so it's not something that happens in one incident. It's something that happens over a period of time. It is an injury that commonly will get better and has a re-occurrence, so when we return back to Dhaka, we will be arranging a specialist review with him."
Speaking about his recovery time, Close said: "This is the second bad episode that he has had. We are looking at around eight weeks for him to recover. But I can't say more until we can make a really good assumption after the competition. There will be rest [for him] and strengthening of the area, maintaining his fitness, conditioning and we will review the injury."
The selectors are yet to name a replacement for Baisya, who is the third player to be forced out of the series after Rajin Saleh, the middle-order batsman, and Mortaza. These injury blows have weakened Bangladesh's bowling attack ahead of the first Test on September 12.
It will now have to rely on the inexperience of Shahadat Hossain, who has played just one Test and is yet to take a wicket, and Syed Rasel, the left-arm debutant. Talha Jubair, the medium-pacer who last played a Test in December 2004 against India, is likely to be the third seamer picked.