In a significant blow to the Bangladesh women’s team, strike bowler Marufa Akter has been sidelined from their upcoming tour of New Zealand following a recurring right ankle injury.
The squad is set to fly out from Dhaka on December 4 to play three ODIs and three T20Is. However, Marufa is currently undergoing four weeks of complete bed rest and is only slated to begin light walking early next month.
Speaking on her absence, a senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official closely linked with the women’s team explained the caution being taken, “She is unavailable for the tour of New Zealand as we don’t want to rush her considering she is one of our premier cricketers and we need to make sure she returns back after recovering fully.”
“The pain recurred in her ankle and we don’t want that to happen again and so decided to give her as much time as needed to make sure she can bowl without any kind of discomfort going forward, because without full recovery she will face difficulty to do bowling according to her strength.”
The root of the issue is bone erosion at the base of the fifth metatarsal in her right foot. Medical staff had administered an injection to help manage the discomfort ahead of Bangladesh’s tour of Australia. After the treatment failed to yield the desired improvement, management chose to pull her out of the tour’s final match. She is now wearing an Aircast boot as part of her extended recovery plan.
Losing their pace attack leader leaves a noticeable void in Bangladesh’s white-ball setups. Since making her international debut, Marufa has quickly established herself as the spearhead of the attack, claiming 29 wickets in 37 WODIs at an economy of 4.79 (best figures of 4/29), along with 45 wickets in 52 WT20Is while maintaining a sharp strike rate of 21.4.
With Bangladesh opting for a long-term approach to her rehabilitation, the priority is clearly focused on protecting Marufa’s future career. While her absence will test the squad’s bowling depth against a formidable New Zealand side, a full recovery ensures the star pacer can return to full speed at 100% health.
(Inputs sourced from Cricbuzz)