Absence from warm-ups fuels concern over Shakib's fitness

Shakib Al-Hasan the Bangladesh captain at the Cricket World Cup. Photo - BCB via UNB.

Dhaka, Oct 2 — Bangladesh's captain Shakib Al Hasan missed both the official warm-up matches preceding the ICC World Cup, casting a shadow of doubt over his physical condition.

Prior to the first warm-up encounter against Sri Lanka, sources within Bangladesh's team management revealed that Shakib incurred a minor injury during a football session in practice.

It was anticipated that the allrounder would play some part in the second warm-up against England, yet this expectation failed to materialize.

However it is true that Bangladesh are coming into the tournament on the back of quite a lot of cricket, so the star allrounder is not exactly in need of time out in the middle. He is also very experienced in Indian conditions, with his years of playing IPL cricket complementing his tours with the national side.

In the first warm-up against Sri Lanka on Friday, Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the Bangladesh team on the field, and today against England, Najmul Hossain Shanto played the role of captain.

When queried about Shakib ahead of the warm-up against England today, Najmul, named vice-captain of the World Cup squad when it was announced last week, affirmed his captain's optimal fitness, and assured that he (Shakib) would be on the field for the first fixture against Afghanistan - now five days away. - UNB