Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to bat in the BAN vs West Indies Test in Mirpur on Wednesday. Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim was ruled out with a finger injury picked up in training, Prothom Alo English reported.
Towhid Hridoy replaced Mushfiqur in the playing XI, Prothom Alo English reported.
The match opens a demanding run for Bangladesh. According to Prothom Alo English, they must win at least four of their remaining six Tests in the current World Test Championship cycle to reach the final, starting with this game.
Mushfiqur Rahim injury: what happened in training
Mushfiqur hurt his right index finger during Tuesday morning's practice session and was seen in considerable pain, Prothom Alo English reported. He went back to the dressing room with tape wrapped around the finger and did not bat again during the session.
X-rays showed no serious damage, and he had been considered available for selection on Tuesday night, the newspaper said. The 38-year-old was still left out of the playing XI.
The report did not say how long he is expected to be out or whether he will be available for the rest of the series.
Injury has now kept Mushfiqur out of consecutive Tests against the West Indies. He also missed Bangladesh's last Test against them, on the 2024 tour of the Caribbean, according to Prothom Alo English.
Who replaced Mushfiqur Rahim in the Bangladesh XI?
Hridoy comes in for the veteran. He made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in June, Prothom Alo English reported. In August he scored an unbeaten 350 for Bangladesh A on their tour of South Africa.
Bangladesh have picked two fast bowlers, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud, and three specialist spinners, the newspaper said.
Bangladesh playing XI vs West Indies, and the visitors' side
The teams, as published by Prothom Alo English:
- Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam
- West Indies: Jonathan Campbell, Brandon King, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Amir Jangoo (wicketkeeper), Roston Chase (captain), Justin Greaves, Joshua Bishop, Shamar Joseph, Jomel Warrican, Jayden Seales
Roston Chase captains the visitors, and Amir Jangoo keeps wicket.
What Bangladesh need to reach the World Test Championship final
Bangladesh are fourth in the World Test Championship standings, according to Prothom Alo English. To reach the final they must win at least four of their last six Tests in the cycle. The newspaper described the Mirpur Test as an important first step towards keeping those hopes alive.
Shanto played down the bigger picture on the eve of the match. He said on Tuesday that he was focused on the game at hand rather than on the prospect of reaching the final, Prothom Alo English reported.
The West Indies are under less pressure. They are eighth in the standings, and a top-five finish in the cycle would meet their immediate ambitions and bring extra financial rewards, the newspaper said.
That leaves the two sides with different goals. Bangladesh need wins to stay in the race for the final. The visitors want to move up the table but are not chasing qualification.
What is still unclear about the series
The Prothom Alo English report did not give the number of Tests on the West Indies tour or the venues for any later matches. It also did not say which six fixtures make up Bangladesh's remaining World Test Championship programme.
Mushfiqur's recovery time is also unknown. The X-rays found no serious damage, so it is not yet clear whether he can return later in the series or whether Hridoy will keep his place.