Pace bowler Rubel Hossain became latest victim of bouncer barrage in Bangladesh’s ill-fated New Zealand tour after he received at least two blows in his finger and elbow on the opening day of their second Test at Christchurch on Friday.
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult delivered a deadly bouncer in the 80th over of the innings against Rubel that hit him in the finger awkwardly before hitting the grills of his helmet.
Rubel put a bandage on the injured finger but was never afraid to throw his bat at everything that he faced.
Though it appeared to be a minor niggle but officials said its gravity could only be judged after the night as there was chance of swelling and further fine.
Before Bangladesh stopped worrying about Rubel’s finger he suffered another blow later in his innings, this time on the elbow that made his participation in any further part of the Test match uncertain.
Rubel tried to go for a shot without judging the length of a Boult ball that missed his bat but struck him on the right elbow leaving him floored.
Rubel stood back to continue his innings and remain not out 16 but that helped little to remove any concern.
The team took him for an X-ray, which nevertheless came clear.
Team spokesman Rabeed Imam told New Age they would reassess his condition in the morning before deciding whether the paceman can bowl in this Test match.
‘It seems he is okay now as his pain has lessened. But we have to wait until the morning to see his condition,’ said Rabeed.
The initial concern however was with his finger, which chief selector Minhajul Abedin said was ‘badly hurt.’
‘Naturally we are concerned because it seemed he was badly hurt,’ said Minhajul, who is currently in Dhaka but has maintained regular contact with the team.
‘We will observe him after going through the medical process and cannot say anything further before receiving the outcome,’ he said.
Minhajul feared that his pain could be increased by few more degrees due to cold in the night.
Rubel was one of the four changes Bangladesh were forced to make as injury took a heavy toll on them in the first Test.
Regular skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, batsmen Imrul Kayes, and Mominul Haque missed the Test because of injuries.
Bangladesh were all out for 289 runs in their first innings thanks to half-century of Soumya Sarkar (86) and Sakib al Hasan (59).