Bangladesh pacer Ebadot Hossain ruled out of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - Reports

Ebadot Hossain suffered an ACL injury during last month's ODI series against Afghanistan.

Bangladesh pacer Ebadot Hossain will reportedly miss the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 due to a knee injury he is currently carrying. His absence from Bangladesh team will leave them adjusting their bowling combinations in the coming matches.

Ebadot suffered an Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during last month's ODI series against Afghanistan. The 29-years-old pacer, who has represented Bangladesh in 12 ODIs since his 50-overs debut last year, was replaced by Tanzim Sakib for Asia Cup 2023.

As per Cricbuzz reports, Ebadot was racing against time to get fit for the upcoming World Cup, but a Bangladesh cricket board official confirmed to the news portal that the pacer wouldn’t be ready in time.

"He (Ebadot) will not be available for us in the World Cup. It's a big blow for us, as he will require an operation on his knee. Following the operation, he will certainly take some time for rehabilitation purposes, at least three to four months, so we cannot consider him for the World Cup," BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin told Cricbuzz on Wednesday.

“It's a big loss”- Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha on Ebadot Hossain

The bowling attack's dynamics are altered by Ebadot's absence. Previously, he would bowl the middle-overs so Taskin Ahmed could utilise the fresh ball. It is still unclear how Taskin will fit in that role, although Ebadot's pace was a key factor in his success in the middle-overs.

"It is very sad that Ebadot is not with us because he was an important part of our team, and taking that into consideration, it is quite disappointing," Shakib told reporters during the pre-series press conference in Dhaka on August 26.

"Ebadot is one of our impact bowlers, the fastest bowler out of the five fast bowlers we played in the last few series. So, it's a big loss, and to replace him straight away, it's a hard task," added Hathurusingha.

Given that he is more effective at the beginning and end of the innings, Hasan Mahmud is not the ideal option to bowl in the middle. The other replacements for Ebadot besides Taskin are Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam, but only time will tell if they will be as successful.