Bangladesh speedster Rubel Hossain is uncertain over playing the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from May 23 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The pacer has been suffering from back pain since the New Zealand tour earlier this year.
While talking to UNB on Monday, Rubel said he still feels pain while delivering a ball. He thinks it won’t be possible for him to make the final squad for the Sri Lanka series.
Read:Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: ODI Series Preview
“I still have some pain in the back,” Rubel told UNB. “It’s tough for a pacer to keep playing without this sort of injuries. I have been in rehab for a while now. But still, some pain is here. I think it won’t be possible for me to play the Sri Lanka series.”
Debashis Chowdhury, the chief physician of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), told the same. He also said that it’s up to the pacer and the selectors to take the final decision about his participation in the Sri Lanka series.
“He has been playing at the top level of cricket for more than a decade, and these kind of bowlers often suffer from back issues. Rubel is not different from the others. It’s a reaction from bowling for a long time. He needs to stay in rehabilitation for more,” Debashis told the media.
Rubel last played an ODI in New Zealand earlier this year and bagged three wickets conceding 70 runs. He also played a T20I in that tour but failed to grab any wicket.
Read:Sri Lanka team arrive in Dhaka to play ODI series against Bangladesh
BCB announced a preliminary squad on May 1 including Rubel. The final squad will be announced this week which might see an omission of the right-handed pacer.
The first match of the series will take place on May 23 while the remaining games will be played on May 25 and 28 respectively. All the day-night affairs will take palace in Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka.
Preliminary squad: Tamim Iqbal, Naim Sheikh, Imrul Kayes, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Musaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam and Shohidul Islam