Junaid Siddique, the left-handed opening batsman, has been called-up to the Bangladesh squad in Australia as a replacement for the injured Nazimuddin, who has been ruled out of the three-match series after tearing one of the tendons on his left ring finger. The injury occurred when he tried to catch a ball during the pre-match warm-up as Bangladesh prepared for their first practice match in Darwin.
The injury is a major blow for Nazimuddin, who wanted to use the tour to press for a permanent place in the team after initially being left out of the squad due to poor form. He was a late inclusion, added to the group less than a week ago when Shahriar Nafees pulled out of the trip to concentrate on his studies.
The problem is so severe that Nazimuddin cannot hold a bat and x-rays and attention from an orthopedic surgeon revealed that his hand will need six to eight weeks in a splint. He will fly out of Darwin on Wednesday.
Junaid's last one-dayer was during the five-ODI tour of Pakistan in April. He was then dropped for the Kitply Cup at home and the Asia Cup in Pakistan. He captained Bangladesh A on the tours of Ireland and England in June and July. He was also among the standby players for the current tour of Australia.
Bangladesh play four more warm-up games at the Gardens Oval before the first ODI at the Marrara Cricket Ground on August 30.