adminMELBOURNE. — Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were dealt injury blows ahead of tomorrow’s Cricket World Cup clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with both Jeevan Mendis and Mushfiqur Rahim taken to hospital for assessment.
Mendis, a left-handed batsman and right-arm leg-spinner, has a hamstring injury that could be serious enough to rule him out of the rest of the tournament, a Sri Lanka team source said yesterday.
Mendis (32), who has played in 16 one-day internationals, conceded 13 runs in three wicketless overs and remained unbeaten on nine during Sri Lanka’s tense four-wicket win over Afghanistan in Dunedin on Sunday. Rahim, the former Bangladesh captain and wicket-keeper, was hit on the right thumb by a ball from team-mate Taskin Ahmed during yesterday’s net session at the MCG and was taken for precautionary x-rays.
“Rahim felt pain in the thumb so we wanted to get it checked-up,” team manager Khaled Mahmud said.
If the experienced Rahim, who has scored 3,224 runs in 141 ODIS, is unable to take the field on Thursday, batsman Anamul Haque will take over wicketkeeping duties. — AFP.
Online Reporter