Mustafizur faces six-month lay-off due to shoulder injury

Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm paceman, is facing shoulder surgery early next month which could sideline him for six months. The BCB are currently mulling whether to have the operation in England or Australia, and BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said that a decision on a surgeon will be made by Monday, but that Mustafizur was mentally prepared for the operation.

Mustafizur is currently in England having linked up with Sussex after extended delays but his stint came to end last week after two matches when he suffered the shoulder injury. He has seen a specialist in the UK, who recommended that the SLAP (Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior) tear - which involves the ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder joint - could be treated through a surgery, which may rule him out for up to six months. Such a lay-off would rule him out of England's visit in October and the tour to New Zealand at the end of the year.

"In the last few days we have sent his reports to a number of places," Yunus said. "We want him to be operated under the best surgeons. We have found two specialists in the UK and one in Australia. By Monday we can decide who will operate on Mustafizur's shoulder. He is mentally prepared for the operation.

"This sort of injury usually is treated conservatively but we are not going that way with Mustafizur because the doctors have said that it might recur in the future."

Yunus said that Mustafizur has been BCB's priority and has always been withdrawn from the game at the onset of any injury. The first such occurance was during the Zimbabwe series in January this year when he was down with an injured shoulder. He also missed much of the Asia Cup and World T20 through a side strain while hamstring and ankle injuries delayed his Sussex stint.

"We are taking the best care of Mustafizur. We have always withdrawn him from matches whenever he has complained of any physical problem," Yunus said. "We haven't seen him in Test matches that much. He has focused mostly in the shorter versions.

"We didn't send him to the PSL because he had injury. He had offers from the CPL. So that he is not overstressed, we are not letting him play when he has a problem."