Abul Hasan replaces injured Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh squad for T20s against Afghanistan

What's the story?

Bangladesh have called up Abul Hasan as the replacement for Mustafizur Rahman in their squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Dehradun. He is scheduled to arrive in India on June 1, the day Bangladesh play their only warm-up game of the tour.

The details

Mustafizur's availability was confirmed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials confirmed on Monday, and back then they were yet to announce the replacement. According to BCB physician Debashish Chowdhury, Mustafizur suffered the injury during the recent Indian Premier League and would require at least two to three weeks to return to full fitness. "Mustafizur damaged the thumb on his left leg during IPL and would not be traveling with the team," Chowdhury stated.

The left-arm pacer's sudden withdrawal with time running out has left BCB extremely displeased, with the board believing that Mustafizur hadn't effectively communicated the severity of the injury sustained during his stint with Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League.

An X-Ray was conducted on Mustafizur's toe on Monday itself, with further tests conducted on Tuesday.

In case you didn't know...

Abul Hasan is not really popular in the international circuits. He last played for Bangladesh in an ODI in January during the tri-series that also involved Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. He has struggled for wickets since his international debut in 2012, taking only five in 14 matches across all formats, at an overall average of 144.60. He played the last of his four T20Is in 2012, a format in which he has just two wickets and an economy rate of 9.81.

In the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League(BPL) however, Abul was one of the better performers among the local fast bowlers, particularly impressing with his yorkers and slower balls in the death overs. He took 10 wickets at an average of 24.40 and ended the tournament with an economy rate of 8.13, which is understood to have been a factor in his recall.

What's next?

The Bangladesh team will travel to India on Tuesday to play the series against Afghanistan, scheduled at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Dehradun on June 3, 5 and 7.

Later this June, Bangladesh is bound to a tour to West Indies to play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. Mustafizur might be available by then, but as of now, nothing can be established with certainty.

Will Mustafizur Rahman join a long list of bowlers whose careers were hampered by injuries? Or will we see the "Fizz" of old soon? Let us know in the comments below.