Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin to miss India T20Is

Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin was on Thursday ruled out of the upcoming three-game T20 series against India owing to a nagging back injury.

The 22-year all-rounder, who had missed Bangladesh’s crucial World Cup match against Australia at Nottingham and the ODI series in Sri Lanka, will not be able to recover in time from a back injury for the India series, beginning November 3.

Multiple scans confirmed that the persistent injury would take more time to heal and he will continue his rehab while being monitored by the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s medical team.

Saifuddin, who has taken 12 wickets in 13 T20Is, did not feature in any competitive match since playing the final of a T20 tri-series featuring Afghanistan and Zimbabwe on September 24.

“Due to a reoccurring back injury Saif(uddin) will be rested from the India tour this year giving him an opportunity to consolidate his recovery over a longer period of time,” said Bangladesh team physiotherapist Julian Calefato in a statement.

“He now will also have the opportunity to spend more time strengthening his body and his situation will be reviewed by the medical team again in the upcoming weeks for further updates.”

Bangladesh are yet to announce a replacement for Saifuddin.

The three-match T20 series starts in New Delhi on November 3 followed by matches at Rajkot and Nagpur on November 7 and 10 respectively.

Bangladesh will also play two Tests as part of the World Championship, in Indore and Kolkata, from November 14-18 and November 22-26 respectively.

The upcoming tour was on Monday thrown into jeopardy after the Bangladesh players refused to participate in any cricketing activity until their demands, including a hike in salary, were met.

However, the tour was back on track after the cricketers, led by star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, on Wednesday called off their strike after getting assurance from the country’s board that all their demands will be met.