Nahid, Taskin leave for Australia for medical assessment

Taskin will stay in Australia after completing the assessment and join the Bangladesh team, which is scheduled to depart on July 31. 

Nahid, who has already been ruled out of the Test series due to injury, will return to Bangladesh to begin his rehabilitation.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Cricket Operations Chairman Shahriar Nafis said Nahid's trip is aimed at conducting detailed examinations not only on his side strain but also on a long-standing shinbone issue.

"He is being sent to Australia for assessment. The side strain will heal naturally," Shahriar told the reporters here today. "In addition, the problem with his foot that he has always had will also be tested."

Dismissing the notions that the decision was made at the last minute, Shahriar said the move had been planned as part of the BCB's broader strategy to assess the condition of its fast bowlers.
"There was a plan in advance. Our fast bowlers, or those who have some problems, were supposed to be assessed. This time, that plan is being implemented," he added.

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam has made encouraging progress in his recovery from the hamstring injury he sustained during Bangladesh's tour of Zimbabwe. 

He is expected to undergo a fitness test on August 12, with the BCB hopeful that he will be cleared to join the squad ahead of the second Australia Test. Shoriful has already been ruled out of the first Test. 

Bangladesh will play a Test series in Australia for the first time in 23 years. The two-match Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship series.

The opening Test will be played at Marrara Oval in Darwin from August 13, while the second Test is scheduled for August 22 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, reports BSS.