Mustafizur Rahman out of Pakistan T20Is with thumb injury

Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out of their upcoming T20I series in Pakistan due to a thumb injury he suffered during the IPL. Khaled Ahmed has been named as his replacement.

Mustafizur was hit on his left hand while playing for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings on May 24, while attempting a caught and bowled off Josh Inglis. According to the Bangladesh physio Delowar Hossain, the injury could take up to three weeks to heal.

"Mustafizur suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his last match of the Indian Premier League yesterday," Hossain said. "This injury requires a period of rest and rehabilitation. As per our current assessment, he will be unavailable for selection for the next two to three weeks. We will conduct a follow-up evaluation after two weeks to monitor his recovery progress."

Mustafizur is the third player to become unavailable for the series that begins on May 28 in Lahore. Nahid Rana had withdrawn for personal reasons while Soumya Sarkar injured his back and was replaced by Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Mustafizur's replacement Khaled has had a productive 2024-25 season, taking 77 wickets at 21.74 in all formats of competitive cricket. He took 20 wickets at an average of 21.55 in the recent BPL season.

Bangladesh play Pakistan in three T20Is in Lahore on May 28, 30 and June 1, having just lost a T20I series 2-1 to UAE in Sharjah.