Shakib Al Hasan: “I feel better after they took out the pus, but the problem is until the infection isn’t gone, there isn’t going to be a surgery on my injured finger”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will have to wait for up to three weeks before he can have his injured finger surgically repaired after his left hand became infected.
The infection, which required him to undergo an emergency operation, was spotted when Shakib went to a Dhaka hospital on Thursday, just hours after he returned home from Dubai.
Since the pus that spread all the up to his left wrist has now been removed, doctors have told Shakib that he will need to wait before he can undergo surgery on his finger, which he injured further while playing in the Asia Cup.
As a result of this, Shakib will be out of action for up to three months.
“The moment I arrived in the hospital, the doctors told me that I have to get the pus out as soon as possible,” Shakib told Prothom Alo as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “Any delay would put me in great danger as the infection spread till my wrist. If I had waited another few days, my wrist would have become disabled.
“I feel better after they took out the pus, but the problem is until the infection isn’t gone, there isn’t going to be a surgery on my injured finger. It will take another 2-3 weeks to fix. After surgery I will need eight weeks, which means I am out for three months.”
It is believed that the infection started at the base of Shakib’s injured little finger.
Bangladesh physiotherapist Tihan Chandramohan sent Shakib’s scans to doctors in Australia and England, and one of them pointed out that the 31-year-old may have an infection.
Shakib said that Chandramohan should have known what was wrong when his finger began swelling up even more.
“I have been in this state for the last 14-15 days. The doctor immediately understood what had happened, but our physio couldn’t find out,” he said. “It is true that the physio couldn’t detect the problem. There was a bit of mistake so he has to take some of the responsibility. But I won’t blame him fully. Nobody knew that it would become infected.”
Shakib added that he decided to play in the Asia Cup since Chandramohan informed him that he was unlikely to do any further damage to the finger.
“BCB president [Nazmul Hassan] asked if I could play the Asia Cup or I could go for the surgery. He told me to take the decision. When I asked the physio about what damage it may have, he told me it won’t be that dangerous. Then I decided that since the Asia Cup is important for us, I will play 4-5 matches with the pain,” Shakib said.