'Hopeful that he can play against India' - Bangladesh team director optimistic about Shakib Al Hasan's participation

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan sustained a left-quad injury during the ODI World Cup 2023 game against New Zealand. This game was played a day ahead of the India-Pakistan game. Notably, the Tigers, Bangladesh's next game will be against the Men In Blue on October 19. Meanwhile, ahead of the game, Bangladesh Cricket Team director Khaled Mahmud is optimistic for the veteran all-rounder to play against India.

"Shakib is getting better. He is pain-free. But we will know the full scenario when he hits the nets tomorrow. He will also do running between the wickets. We are hopeful that he can play against India. He worked in a swimming session, and some upper-half work in the gym today. There will be a scan tomorrow which will give us a clearer picture of his situation. Usually these injuries produce a lot of pain. It is tough to walk around even. He is quite well. It is giving us hope."

Shakib Al Hasan wants to play if he is 80-90 percent fit: Khaled Mahmud

The 52-year-old added that Shakib wants to play the upcoming game despite the 80-90 percent fit. Notably, the latter bowled his quota of 10 overs but was in immense pain during the process. However, ahead of the game, the team director added that the team doesn't want him to play one game and miss the rest.

"Shakib wants to play, so if the situation is that he is 85-90% fit, like he was in the last game after getting injured, we are hopeful too. But it depends on his 100% fitness. We don't want him to miss the rest of the tournament after playing one more game. There are six matches remaining. It is the doctor and physio's call. We don't want to trouble him in the long term. If he gets clearance from the physio, he will play."