Finger injury bars Shakib from New Zealand tour

Bangladesh suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of next week's one-day international series against New Zealand, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Saturday all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had been ruled out with a finger fracture, reports AFP.

Shakib sustained the injury to his left ring finger while batting in the final of the sixth edition of Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament on Friday evening, said the BCB.

An X-ray following the match confirmed a fracture, and the finger will "have to be immobilised for around three weeks," said senior BCB physician Debashis Chowdhury.

This was the second injury blow for Bangladesh ahead of the visit, which featured three one-day internationals and three Tests.

Pace bowler Taskin Ahmed was earlier ruled out for the entire series with a torn ligament and had been replaced by Shafiul Islam for the ODIs and uncapped Ebadot Hossain for Test series.

Several Bangladeshi cricketers have already left Dhaka for the three-match ODI series that starts in Napier on February 13.

Shakib missed much of the action in 2018 following an injury to his left little finger.