Rubel advised surgery for injured shoulder

Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has been advised surgery on his injured right shoulder. The operation could keep Rubel out of cricket for up to six months. He had picked up the injury during the home Test series against Pakistan in December, and was forced off the field after bowling just two overs in the opening game of the Bangladesh Premier League.

"We have done double MRIs and had to [crosscheck things], and that took some time," Debashish Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's physician, told the Daily Star. "We have submitted the official report yesterday [Sunday]. We have suggested that he needs an operation and it should be done in South Africa. It is getting a little late regarding Rubel [he should have the surgery at the earliest], and the operation is [expected to be] very complicated. We have no first-hand experience of it." The extent of the damage, and subsequently the degree of complication of the surgery, will be known only after Rubel consults with the doctor in South Africa.

"After the operation, he will [most likely] need six months to recover. If he [only requires a simpler] surgery, he will need six weeks to come back. He needs the operation because he can't throw or dive, though, he can still bowl."

Shafiul Islam, another of Bangladesh's injured fast bowlers, has also been asked to consult with a specialist in Cape Town. He too is hampered by a shoulder problem - he had done his shoulder some damage during last month's Asia Cup. Chowdhury said, however, it did not look as though Shafiul would require any surgery. "Shafiul can continue the conservative treatment that he is undertaking."