Bangladesh stumper Rahim misses remaining ODIs in NZ

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim will miss the remaining two one-day internationals against New Zealand with a hamstring injury.

The first-choice stumper, also a key middle order batsman, suffered the injury during his team’s defeat by 77 runs in the Boxing Day match at Christchurch. “We are looking at two weeks, anything before is a bonus,” Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s been one of the form batters as well as wicketkeeper in all formats, but injuries are part and parcel of the game.”

Rahim’s injury cleared the decks for reserve wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan’s oneday debut in the second match at Nelson on Thursday.

Beginning on Jan 3, Bangladesh play three Twenty20 matches in New Zealand followed by tests at Wellington (Jan. 1216) and Christchurch (Jan 20-24).

* Meanwhile, former Hampshire captain and cricket commentator Mark Nicholas has been taken to hospital for a second time in three days after falling ill during the second Test between Australia and Pakistan yesterday.

The 59-year-old Englishman was taken to hospital on Monday after suffering abdominal pains but discharged after tests, with his employer Channel Nine reporting that he was in “good spirits”.

He returned to the Melbourne Cricket Ground commentary box on Wednesday to commentate on day three of the test but was taken to hospital again after suffering the same symptoms, a Cricket Australia spokesman told reporters.

Nicholas played 377 first class games and led English county side Hampshire for over 10 years before retiring in 1995 to carve out a career in journalism and broadcasting.