Injury-hit Bangladesh recall Mominul for Asia Cup

DHAKA: Bangladesh have added batsman Mominul Haque to their squad for the Asia Cup as backup to several players carrying injuries, selectors said on Friday.

“He is a top-order batsman, who can play as an opener or in (the) one-down position. So we thought his inclusion might be useful in the tournament,” said Habibul Bashar.Opener Tamim Iqbal has an issue with his finger while uncapped left-hander Nazmul Hossain hurt his left thumb during a recent training session.

“We are hopeful they will both play. But we thought Mominul might play just in case they feel any problem,” Bashar added.Bangladesh are Pool B alongside Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the six-nation Asia Cup, which will run from September 15-28 in the UAE.

The Tigers also have some fitness concerns regarding all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was keen to skip the Asia Cup to have a surgery on a finger.But the BCB insisted on playing him in the tournament, putting his surgery on hold until October when they host Zimbabwe.Shakib in a recent interview had said that he is only 20-30 percent fit, a statement that was quickly dismissed by Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes.