Hasan Mahmud set to replace injured Taskin on US tour

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud is all set to make the cut in the USA-bound flight with the national cricket team for the upcoming three-match T20I series against USA.

The right-arm pacer is expected to replace Taskin Ahmed after he sustained a side injury recently that will prevent him from being part of the series in Texas on May 21, 23 and 25.

Hasan, the 24-year-old pacer who played 17 T20Is, last represented Bangladesh in this format during a T20I match against Afghanistan in Sylhet in July last year.

It is understood that Bangladesh will carry a 17-member squad for the three T20Is against USA and Taskin will be travelling with the team as well considering the team management is hopeful that he is expected to recover before the global event.

However, if he doesn't recover, Hasan will automatically make it into the World Cup squad. Changes can be made in the World Cup squad that will be announced by Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday (May 14) until 25 May and after that, if changes are required, the permission of the ICC T20WC technical committee will be required.

"Hasan Mahmud will certainly travel to USA for three T20Is and he is the front-runner to replace Taskin if he eventually cannot make it into the World Cup," a member of the selection panel confirmed to Cricbuzz on Monday.

"We are still hopeful that we will have some positive news regarding Taskin. If it was too serious, we would have been informed that there was no chance," he said.

Meanwhile, a medical source told Cricbuzz that they will inform the selection panel regarding the injury status of Taskin after getting the report but they feel that it is very early to say he is totally out of contention to feature in the World Cup as there is still time in hand.

"I think before the World there are couple of weeks left and during this time frame Taskin can recover," said the official before adding if there is a fracture things might get complicated for the pacer, who had back issues during the last ICC World Cup.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the team management won't pick Mohammad Saifuddin in the World Cup squad as the board high-ups were very disappointed with his performance against Zimbabwe, where he conceded 55 runs in the last game.

It is understood that team management is not very impressed with Saifuddin's decision to bowl only six yorkers out of the 96 balls that he bowled in the series.

It is also understood that pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib stands a better chance to get a place in the World Cup squad while left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam can also make it into the squad, provided Taskin makes him available for the showpiece event.