Mustafizur to make his return to the field with Khulna in NCL T20
Mustafizur has been away from the game since 11 November, when he last featured in the Afghanistan ODI series.
Mustafizur Rahman is set to make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket after a month-long absence.
The left-arm pacer has been out of action since Bangladesh's three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in November, which ended in a 2-1 loss for the Tigers in the UAE.
He missed the West Indies tour on paternity leave but will now return to action for Khulna Division in the NCL T20.
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The NCL T20 is nearing its final stages, with only three matches left in the tournament. Khulna secured their place in the second qualifier by defeating Chattogram Division in a nail-biting eliminator match.
They will now face Dhaka Metro on 22 December for a spot in the final. Mustafizur is expected to join the squad for tomorrow's match, which will be held at 1:15 pm. Should Khulna win, Mustafizur will also be available for the final.
Khulna's captain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, confirmed, "I spoke to him, and if we won today's game, he was set to join us this evening for the match tomorrow. As of now, that plan remains unchanged."
Khulna's journey in the tournament has been a mixed one, but they have shown tremendous resilience in recent matches.
Despite a slow start, they managed to finish third in the group stage, securing a place in the Super Four.
Their last four matches have been do-or-die encounters, and Sohan stated, "We've been playing must-win matches for the last four games, and tomorrow will be no different. Inshallah, we'll stick to our process."
In the eliminator match earlier today, Khulna batted first and were bowled out for 146 runs. Sohan played a crucial role, scoring 52 runs. Chattogram's bowlers, Ahmed Sharif and Fahad Hossain, were the standout performers, taking four and three wickets, respectively.
In reply, Chattogram fell short by just seven runs despite some strong individual performances.
Yasir Rabbi scored 37, while Nayeem Hasan contributed 34 runs. The seven-run defeat sealed Chattogram's exit from the tournament.
Mustafizur has been away from the game since 11 November, when he last featured in the Afghanistan ODI series.
In that series, he claimed eight wickets across three matches. During his time away, he welcomed his first child, a baby boy, in early December.
Despite his absence from the NCL T20 so far, he resumed light training in preparation for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and is now ready to return to the field with Khulna.
