Mushfiq-Imrul cleared to play

Both of Mushfiqur Rahim and Imrul Kayes were in blistering form in the recently ended Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) but had been facing injury problems since the end of the tournament. 

But Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury said on Tuesday that both of them have passed their fitness test and are clear to play. 

"Mushfiqur and Imrul were struggling with hamstring and calf muscle complications. They were going through rehabilitation. Mushfiq's was a grade-one injury and we expected him to be back by the second week of February. But we thought that Imrul would require a bit more time. But both of them did well in their fitness tests today and both are cleared to play. They have no restrictions on their way to play the upcoming matches," said Dr Debashish. 

Shadman Islam, one of Bangladesh's most promising opening batsmen, missed out on the Test series against Pakistan with a wrist injury. Also, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Bangladesh Under 19 seamer, returned from the ongoing World Cup in South Africa with a shoulder injury. Dr Debashish also provided updates on them saying that they both required surgeries. 

"We were struggling with the injury management of two injuries - one is of Shadman's (Islam) wrist and the other was Mrittunjoy's shoulder. Mrittunjoy is a promising young talent but he had to come back from the Under 19 World Cup with his injury. The board has decided to send them to Australia for better treatment and we have contacted them (in Australia). If everything goes alright, we will be sending them to the surgeons by the end of this month," he said.

Dr Debashish also provided an update on Khaled Ahmed's injury. The speedster was diagnosed with a meniscus injury and afterwards pulled up with a side strain. 

"Khaled had almost regained full fitness from his meniscus injury through rehabilitation but unfortunately, he pulled up with a side strain. That is why his rehab got a bit delayed. I am hoping that he would regain full fitness within a couple of weeks," Dr Debashish said. 

Mushfiq and Imrul are both likely to feature in the next round of the 8th Bangladesh Cricket League.