Covid-infected Bangladesh Cricket Team All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan Out Of Sri Lanka Test

Shakib returned from the United States on Tuesday and underwent a PCR and a rapid antigen test as a prerequisite for joining the team ahead of the series.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Hasan tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and was ruled out of this week’s first Test against Sri Lanka, the country’s cricket authorities said.

Shakib returned from the United States on Tuesday and underwent a PCR and a rapid antigen test as a prerequisite for joining the team ahead of the series.

“Both tests have returned positive results. He will now recover in self isolation and will be re-tested in due course. He has been ruled out of the first Test,” the Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement.

Sri Lanka’s cricket team is already in Bangladesh for the two-Test series, beginning at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong May 15.

The second Test will be held in Dhaka from May 23 to 27.

Shakib also missed Bangladesh’s previous Test series against South Africa due to a family emergency.

Shakib was supposed to join the Bangladesh Test squad on Wednesday, two days after the players started training in Chattogram on Monday.

Shakib’s unavailability is a major blow to the home side who are already without Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed, who weren’t picked up in the squad due to injuries.

Bangladesh had earlier named all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain as cover for the injured Mehidy.

Shoriful Islam is in the Test squad but his participation is subject to a fitness test ahead of the game.

It is the fifth Test that Shakib will miss since playing one against Pakistan back in December last year. He skipped the New Zealand series due to personal reasons and then had to miss the matches against South Africa due to illness in his family.