Mushfiqur Rahim to miss Super Four clash against India

Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim will miss Bangladesh’s Super Four clash against India on Friday, September 15 in Colombo as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has granted Mushfiqur an extended leave to prioritize his family during this important time.

In a statement Jalal Yunus, the Chairman of Cricket Operations at BCB, acknowledged the 36-year-old’s situation, revealing that Mushfiqur’s wife is recovering after giving birth to their second child recently.

“Mushfiqur has informed us that his wife is still recovering (after giving birth), and he needs to be by her side and with their children at this time. We fully understand his situation and have decided to permit him to skip the game,” Yunus said in a BCB statement.

The absence of former Bangladesh captain comes as a significant blow to Bangladesh, who had been banking on his batting prowess throughout the tournament. With 131 runs to his name from four innings at an average of 32.75, including an impressive 64 against Pakistan, Mushfiqur had emerged as one of their leading run-scorers. His contributions were instrumental, positioning him just behind Shanto and Mehidy on the list of top run-getters for the team.

Forgettable outing for Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2023

The Asia Cup has not been kind to Bangladesh this time around, with their only notable performance being a dominant win against Afghanistan in the group stage. On that memorable occasion, Bangladesh amassed a formidable total of 334 for 5, courtesy of centuries from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto.

However, their campaign has been marred by convincing losses in their other three games, twice to Sri Lanka and once to Pakistan and they have been knocked out of the tournament after India’s win over Sri Lanka.

The winners of the upcoming Pakistan vs Sri Lanka encounter on Thursday will join India in the final showdown, set to take place on Sunday, September 17. In the event of a game abandonment, Sri Lanka will secure their spot in the final due to their superior net run-rate.