Taskin doubtful for SL series; Shoriful not certain either

Bangladesh pacers Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam are not certain to play in the upcoming two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, owing to injuries they suffered recently.

Both the pacers returned from South Africa ahead of the second Test, where Bangladesh were handed a 2-0 defeat by the hosts. The Test defeats had come on the back of a historic 2-1 ODI series win by Bangladesh, with both Taskin and Shoriful featuring prominently.

But with Sri Lanka slated to come to Bangladesh next month for two Test matches – first Test from May 15 and the second one from May 23--- the two pacers' participation is in doubt.

Taskin is suffering from a back injury, for which he has been given three weeks' rest by the BCB, according to BCB's chief physician Debashish Chowdhury.

"We are going for conservative approach with Taskin's recovery. He has been given three weeks' rest. However, we would prefer to have a second opinion on his injury and we may send him abroad for that," Debashish told The Daily Star on Sunday.

Regarding Shoriful, the BCB physician said the left-arm pacer will need a small surgery soon.

"Shoriful has recovered from the ankle injury. However, he will need a small surgery on a non-sports related issue. We will try to have that surgery done by the end of this month," Debashish added.

The Sri Lankans have already declared a 23-member preliminary squad for the series and will arrive in Dhaka on May 7.