Soumya Sarkar ruled out of T20Is in Pakistan

Bangladesh batter Soumya Sarkar has been ruled out of the three T20Is in Pakistan in June by a back injury. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who is playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2025 playoffs, has been picked as a replacement.

Soumya missed the three T20Is against UAE in Sharjah, a series Bangladesh lost 2-1, and the team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said he would need a couple of weeks to recover.

"Following medical evaluation, it has been determined that the injury requires an extended rehabilitation period of approximately 10 to 12 days," Bayjedul said. "This effectively means that he will not be available for next week's three-match series in Pakistan."

Bangladesh's selectors had dropped Mehidy from the T20I squad that was originally picked for the tours of UAE and Pakistan. Mehidy, however, has had a productive 2024-25 season. He was the Player of the Tournament in the BPL for scoring 355 runs and taking 13 wickets, and was also the Player of the Test Series against Zimbabwe for taking three five-wicket hauls and scoring a hundred.

Mehidy is with his countrymen Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain in the Qalandars squad, and he will join the Bangladesh team in Lahore after his PSL commitments. Bangladesh play three T20Is against Pakistan in Lahore on May 28, 30 and June 1.