Mosaddek Hossain unlikely to feature in South Africa series

Bangladesh all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain is set to miss the upcoming tour of South Africa after he contracted an eye infection during the recently concluded Australia series. Hossain, who had to miss out on the home series against the Aussies, now has very slim chances of playing against the Proteas. Mosaddek was initially included in the squad for the first Test against Australia, but just 24 hours after the decision, the selectors dropped him to make way for Mominul Haque.

The 21-year-old all-rounder has played only one Test so far. Thus it is extremely unlikely that the national selectors will include Mosaddek when they announce the Test squad for the two-match series against South Africa. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also decided to send Mosaddek to Bangkok for a check-up. Left-arm spinner Sanjamul Islam, who is also suffering from the same eye infection will accompany the all-rounder.

Speaking on the current status of the player, BCB physician Dr. Debashish Chowdhury said, “He is yet to recover from (his) eye infection and we will send him to Thailand as soon as we get the visa.”

“We are sending him there as per the advice of our local eye specialists. This is not a dangerous infection but it will take time for him to fully recover. The treatment most likely will be the same as our eye specialists advised but we are still sending him to get a second opinion,” he further added.

Kamrul Islam is a strong contender to feature in the team

In the interim, the squad which played Australia at home is expected to undergo minor changes, with chief selector Minhajul Abedin already stating that they will pick five pacers. And there remains very little doubt that 25-year-old pacer Kamrul Islam will be a strong contender to feature in the pace-heavy attack.

Popularly known as ‘Rabbi’, Kamrul did not feature in the home series against Australia. He was even included for the Sri Lanka tour but suffered the similar fate.