Bangladesh have been handed a big blow in the run-up to the World Cup in India with pacer Ebadot Hossain ruled out after needing an operation for his injured knee. He had initially been named in the Asia Cup squad but was later retracted and is now set to spend a few months on the sidelines.
The update was conveyed to Cricbuzz by the Bangladesh men’s team’s chief selection Minhajul Abedin on Wednesday.
“He (Ebadot) will not be available for us in the World Cup,” he was quoted saying.
Ebadot Hossain made his ODI debut for the Tigers in 2022 and has since impressed in his 12 appearances with his tally of 22 wickets being the highest for Bangladesh in the given period. The 29-year-old was expected to be a key weapon for the subcontinental side given his ability to strike regularly in the middle overs but suffered an ACL injury in the ODI series against Afghanistan in July.
Even though Hossain was expected to recover in time for the upcoming busy schedule, as indicated by his initial inclusion in the 17-member squad for the Asia Cup beginning August 30, the rehabilitation did not go as per plan with the bowler now required to go under the knife.
“It’s a big blow for us as he will require operation for his knee. Following the operation he will certainly take some time for rehabilitation purpose, at least three to four months, so we cannot consider him for World Cup,” Abedin added.
Hossain was replaced by uncapped pacer Tanzim Hossain for the continental tournament to be played across Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The youngster had been in the pipelines for a considerable time after helping the team win the U19 World Cup in 2020 but it remains to be seen whether he can make up for Ebadot’s loss on the big stage.
“Ebadot is one of our impact bowlers, the fastest bowler out of the five fast bowlers we played in the last few series. So, it’s a big loss, and to replace him straight away it’s a hard task,” Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha had said in a press conference ahead of the Asia Cup.
