Soumya Sarkar has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan due to a back injury. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been named as his replacement, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed in a press release on Thursday (May 22).
Soumya had been experiencing pain in the lower right side of his back for the past week. BCB’s physio, Bayezidul Islam Khan, stated that medical tests revealed he would need about 10 to 12 days of rehabilitation to recover from the injury, making him unavailable for the Pakistan series.
Meanwhile, Miraz is already in Pakistan, playing for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His team will play against Karachi Kings in the eliminator match tonight. Two other Bangladeshi players, Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain, are also playing for Lahore.
It is worth mentioning that Miraz was not part of the recently concluded preparatory series against the UAE. Regarding his inclusion, BCB’s Chairman of Cricket Operations, Nazmul Abedin Fahim, said that while Miraz’s batting is in good shape, his bowling in T20s is still not very effective. However, he added that Miraz is a hardworking player and could become a regular in the T20 squad with improvement in his bowling.
The 27-year-old all-rounder has previously played 29 T20I matches for Bangladesh. The BCB stated that he will join the national team after completing his PSL campaign.
