Nahid Rana heading to Australia tonight for medical treatment

Bangladesh's star pacer Nahid Rana is set to leave for Australia tonight (Tuesday, July 28) for advanced medical treatment. Pacer Taskin Ahmed will accompany him on the same flight.

Following the Zimbabwe tour, four pacers and one batsman of the national team have been sidelined with injuries. As they were not fit until the last moment, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squad for the first Test against Australia without Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam and Litton Das.

While the initial plan was to have Nahid undergo rehabilitation at home, the BCB has decided to send him to Australia for specialist care . Once there, he will consult a renowned specialist, and his subsequent treatment and rehabilitation will follow that expert's guidance.

The fast bowler is not travelling for his recent side strain, but rather for a chronic shinbone issue. He has been managing this pain since his early days, and the BCB had previously planned to have him see a specialist when the team travelled to Australia or England.

Nahid and Taskin will depart Dhaka at 11:55pm tonight. While Nahid will focus entirely on his recovery throughout the tour, Taskin will join the national squad upon arrival in Australia.

Earlier, the BCB had stated that Nahid could take six to eight weeks to recover fully. The first four weeks would be required to recover from the injury, followed by another two to four weeks to gradually increase his bowling workload.