ICC World Cup: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe suffers hamstring strain

Dhaka – It was a huge blow for Bangladesh when captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza suffered a hamstring strain on his left leg during the last warm-up match against India on Tuesday.

But the skipper is expected to lead Tigers in their World Cup opener against South Africa on June 2, although it is uncertain whether he will be fully fit by then.

Mashrafe got injured while bowling an extended spell of six overs against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He finished with an economical figure 23 runs without any wicket.

He suffered a hamstring strain during the sixth over. Mashrafe was supposed to stop after four or five overs, but continued to bowl to take control of the situation as Rohit and Kohli were looking to score runs quickly.

Soon after the injury, Mashrafe left the field and was seen in the dressing room as Shakib Al Hasan captained the side. Mashrafe did not come out to bat as Bangladesh fell 95 runs short chasing India’s 359.

After the game, Mashrafe admitted that Bangladesh had a few injury concerns. Shakib has recently recovered from a side strain, while Mustafizur Rahman is nursing a calf injury.

Tamim Iqbal, too, didn’t play against India due to a minor thigh strain he suffered during training a couple of days ago. He is expected to be fit for the South Africa game.UNB