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Bangladesh have suffered a significant setback ahead of their upcoming tour of South Africa, with opener Shadman Islam ruled out due to an ankle injury. The left-handed batter sustained the injury while fielding during the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet and will not recover in time for the overseas assignment.
The development comes at a difficult time for Bangladesh, who are also dealing with the absence of Shadman Islam during the ongoing Test. His injury has opened the door for Mahfizul Islam Robin to earn a place in the squad. Meanwhile, the team will take confidence from Towhid Hridoy's record-breaking double century, which has drawn praise from head coach Phil Simmons.
Bangladesh suffer major setback as Shadman Islam ruled out of South Africa tour
Shadman Islam twisted his left ankle on the second day of the Sylhet Test while attempting to stop a ball near the boundary. He slipped while moving across the outfield and was left in considerable pain. The medical staff attended to Shadman Islam before he was taken off the ground on a stretcher and sent to hospital for an MRI scan.
The initial assessment raised concerns about a ligament tear, with the possibility of a fracture also being considered. A member of Bangladesh's selection panel confirmed to Cricbuzz that the opener Shadman Islam would miss the South Africa tour.
“He (Shadman) is ruled out from the South Africa tour,” the selector said. “As far as my knowledge is concerned, he suffered a tear while there is a possibility of a fracture as well."
Shadman's absence is particularly concerning because Bangladesh will have limited time to prepare for the next assignment. Mahfizul Islam Robin is understood to be in contention for selection after working with the national coaches in Sylhet.
The two-Test series begins at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on November 15, with the second match set to take place at SuperSport Park from November 23.
That was an outstanding innings - Phil Simmons on Towhid Hridoy's double century
While Shadman Islam's injury has dominated Bangladesh's team news, Hridoy has given the side a major reason for optimism. The batter produced a remarkable unbeaten 242 off 359 deliveries in the first innings against West Indies, helping Bangladesh recover from a difficult position and take a narrow lead.
His innings included 22 fours and 11 sixes, setting a new record for the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batter in Test cricket. Hridoy also became the fourth player from the country to score a double century in the format, surpassing Mushfiqur Rahim's previous national record of 219.
Phil Simmons was impressed by the way the youngster handled the responsibility after Bangladesh lost wickets in quick succession. The coach felt Hridoy understood what the situation demanded and took charge of the innings.
“That was an outstanding innings. It's an unbelievable innings in the end even when they were out on the boundary, he was still able to find boundaries and hit sixes. Even when he started getting tired coming closer to the double hundred. But it was just an outstanding effort from him in all aspects,” Simmons said.
Hridoy has been batting well all through - Phil Simmons
Phil Simmons also praised Hridoy's decision-making and maturity at the crease. The coach explained that he prefers to let batters make their own decisions once they are in the middle rather than dictate how they should approach an innings.
“Hridoy has been batting well all through. Yes he played a couple of rash shots in Dhaka but that was his second Test match? So we can't hold that against him. I think that he is quickly maturing and we saw that today,” he said.
The Bangladesh coach was particularly pleased with how Hridoy managed partnerships with Mushfiqur Rahim, Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed. His innings offered Bangladesh a much-needed batting performance, even as Shadman's injury leaves the team with another selection concern before the South Africa challenge.
Also Read: Towhid Hridoy breaks Bangladesh's all-time individual Test scoring record
