Taskin Ahmed, who was recalled to the Bangladesh squad for the one-day internationals against New Zealand, will now miss the series after injuring his left ankle.

The pacer had earned his place in the ODI squad after impressive returns in the Bangladesh Premier League 2019, where he is the highest wicket-taker with 22 in 12 games, the ICC reported.

However, he injured his ankle while fielding for Sylhet Sixers against Chittagong Vikings on Friday, 1 February, and now faces four to six weeks on the sidelines.

‘It is certainly a huge blow as he was carrying a good rhythm and looked very impressive in the recent past,’ Minhajul Abedin, the Bangladesh national selector, told Cricbuzz. ‘He is probably out for next four to six weeks as he damaged his ligament severely.’

‘I had worked really hard in this tournament to return to the national team. Pray for me so that I can play at least the Test series against New Zealand,’ a disappointed Ahmed told the Daily Star.

Ahmed has been unlucky with injuries in his career so far, with back and hand injuries preventing him from playing consistently at the international level. His last international appearance was in March 2018, when Bangladesh took on Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy.

The first of three ODIs against New Zealand will be played at Napier on 13 February.