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Fitness concerns over Bangladesh National Cricket Team opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, as he skipped the entire next session on Thursday in Mackay during their second Test match against the Austria National Cricket Team.
Tanzid's century in Darwin played a massive role in Bangladesh's historic 9-wicket win in Darwin. The upcoming match in Mackay will decide the fate of the series. With a 1-0 lead, if Bangladesh manages to defeat Australia again, or even a draw will help them to register a Test series win over the Australian cricket team.
Tanzid Hasan skipped batting in nets because of neck stiffness
Ahead of the crucial match, Tanzid Hasan's fitness came under the scanner. According to a Cricbuzz report, the left-handed opener performed warm-ups and fielding drills with the rest of the team, but spent a large part of the net session standing in a corner alongside chief selector Habibul Bashar at the Great Barrier Reef Arena.
It is claimed that the batter had reported discomfort in his neck. Therefore, the Bangladesh team management, as a precautionary measure, kept him away from the batting practice on Thursday. The management is hopeful about a fully fit Tanzid Hasan soon before that match, which will start in Mackay on August 22. Tanzid is expected to return for batting practice as well, ahead of the match.
Bangladesh cricket team keeps Soumya Sarkar as a back-up opener for the upcoming Test match in Mackay
While Tanzid Hasan was standing in a corner of the ground, Bangladesh team management allowed another opener, Soumya Sarkar, to have a long batting session. It is clear that if Tanzid remains unavailable for the next match, then Soumya will be there as the back-up opener. As of now, the neck stiffness of Tanzid Hasan seems not serious enough to force him out of the match.
In the same practice session, there was another injury threat for the touring team. Experienced keeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim received a blow when a fast-paced delivery hit his right hand. Rahim was in pain and on his knees in the nets. On a good note for the Bangladesh cricket team, the blow was minor, and he resumed batting after medical assistance.
Amid fitness-related concerns around multiple first-team players, Bangladesh cricket team's head coach Phil Simmons was asked whether they are thinking about any changes in their playing eleven for the next Test match against Australia.
Shoriful Islam returns after missing out on Darwin Test because of an injury
Meanwhile, Shoriful Islam, who missed the previous Test match because of an injury, looked fit and fully recovered as he had a long spell in the nets. With the return of Shoriful, a fast bowler, will the Bangladesh cricket team consider any changes in the fast bowling combination? The team management is yet to confirm their playing combination.
"We'll decide tomorrow. That's not decided yet,” Simmons told reporters. "He [Shoriful Islam] offers something different, but again, we just won a Test match, so I am one of those who hardly like to change [a winning eleven."
