Mustafizur Rahman sidelined for four weeks with hamstring injury

DHAKA: Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out for four weeks after sustaining a Grade 1 muscle tear in his right hamstring and meniscal degeneration in his right knee, ruling him out of the remainder of Bangladesh's ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.

Mustafizur experienced discomfort while bowling during the opening ODI against Zimbabwe on Monday and underwent scans on Tuesday, which confirmed the extent of the injuries.

The left-arm pacer featured in the first ODI, where Bangladesh suffered a 25-run defeat. He returned figures of 0-19 from six overs and also batted at No. 10 during Bangladesh's unsuccessful chase of 142.

He missed the second ODI on Thursday and was replaced by fellow left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam. Mustafizur has now been ruled out of the rest of the tour, including the three-match T20I series, and has returned to Bangladesh to begin his rehabilitation.

The injury adds to Mustafizur's recent fitness concerns. Earlier this year, he was sidelined with a knee problem after returning from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) ahead of Bangladesh's ODI series against New Zealand in April.

The injury forced him to miss the opening two ODIs before he made a successful comeback with a five-wicket haul in the third match. Following the setback, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) withdrew his no-objection certificate for the remainder of the PSL.

Bangladesh's tour of Zimbabwe concludes on July 19, after which the Tigers will travel to Australia for a two-Test series beginning on August 13. Both matches will count towards the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle.