As Mustafizur Rahman joined Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle after the fall of the eighth wicket on Saturday, everyone thought Sri Lanka was just a wicket away from winding up the Bangladesh innings. News had trickled out that Tamim Iqbal, hit on the left wrist in the second over, had suffered a fracture and was virtually ruled out of action for six weeks.
Five overs hence, Mustafizur threw his wicket away with 19 balls remaining in the match and Bangladesh on 229 for nine.
Tamim, with a heavily strapped left hand and four of his five fingers, barring the thumb, popping out of the gloves, not only walked out to join Mushfiqur, but also negotiated the last ball of the 47th over with one hand.
That one ball he faced and the 17 balls he accompanied Mushfiqur, writhing through pain, made Tamim a hero. The opener’s gallant act was as heroic as Anil Kumble bowling with a broken jaw in a Test match in Antigua in 2006.
While Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews stated Tamim “showed character” by batting one-handed, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza revealed it was solely the batsman’s decision.
“It was Tamim’s decision. One should remember Tamim for this match. Anything could have happened. His career could have been affected. Mushfiqur was boosted by his reappearance at that stage. Hats off to Tamim for going out to bat at that time,” Mashrafe said.
While Tamim may be out for six weeks, the Bangladesh camp is hoping for a miracle. “We still don’t know what’s going on with him. The scan has to be done again, in two days. There’s a little fracture for sure, but we have to find out how bad it is. Not having him is a big blow but we have some players in the bank,” Mashrafe said.
