Why is Mushfiqur Rahim not playing today’s 1st T20I between Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Mirpur?

Mushfiqur Rahim not playing: The veteran Bangladeshi wicket-keeper batter has been ruled out from the first T20I.

Bangladesh have received a major blow in the form of veteran wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim getting ruled out of their first T20I against Afghanistan at the Shere Bangla National Stadium today.

Rahim, who was dropped after the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 for the Pakistan T20Is, was recalled alongside A-list players namely Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das to Bangladesh’s 14-member squad for this series.

It was only this afternoon that BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) released an official statement regarding Rahim’s injury. The 34-year old player is under observation and will be assessed tomorrow ahead of the second T20I at the same venue on March 5.

“He will be under observation of the medical team and will be assessed on Friday before a decision is made regarding his availability for the second and final match of the series,” read BCB’s official statement.

Why is Mushfiqur Rahim not playing vs Afghanistan today?

It is worth mentioning that Rahim got injured when a ball hit him during training. In what isn’t a major injury, Rahim has suffered a “contusion” to his right thumb. As a result, there’s some swelling on Bangladesh’s second-most experienced T20I player’s thumb.

“Mushfiqur [Rahim] underwent an X-ray yesterday after the ball hit his thumb. Nothing bad happened there, it’s normal. But there is a slight swelling and a change of color. We kept him under surveillance. He has been ruled out of today’s match. We will decide on Mushfiqur tomorrow after practice,” Bangladesh’s physiotherapist Bayzid Ul Islam said in a statement.

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Already struggling big time in T20Is, the home team is quite likely to miss Rahim’s services in Mirpur today. It is noteworthy that Bangladesh have won just two out of their last 11 T20Is since the start of T20 World Cup last year. Even their last four T20Is against Afghanistan have witnessed them ending up on the losing side thrice.