Mustafizur ruled out with injury, Shariful named replacement

Just moments before the match began, the scenario took an unexpected turn. As the captains were preparing for the toss, the head coach rushed in, a brief exchange followed—and Bangladesh’s playing XI was suddenly altered. The dramatic change came after dependable pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ruled out at the last minute.

In the first ODI against New Zealand, the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first, sending Bangladesh into the field. However, the hosts suffered an early setback even before the game got underway.

Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and New Zealand skipper Tom Latham had already stepped out for the toss when head coach Phil Simmons hurried over and spoke briefly with Miraz. Soon after, the team list was revised, leaving many initially puzzled.

The situation became clear shortly afterward. Mustafizur Rahman experienced discomfort in his right knee during the warm-up, prompting the team management to withdraw him from the match as a precaution.

Team manager Nafees Iqbal confirmed that Mustafizur reported the issue during warm-up, and the decision was made just before the toss to keep him out. Shariful Islam was included in the playing XI as his replacement.