DHAKA, Nov 8: Bangladesh’s main strike bowler Mashrafe Mortaza will undergo knee surgery, keeping him out of the game for at least eight months, after suffering an injury during the second Test against England last week.

The 20-year-old grabbed a career-best four for 60 in the first innings of the Chittagong Test but fell over clutching his right knee while bowling in the second innings.

“Initially we thought he would be okay in four or five weeks, but MRI scans have shown he needs a full ligament reconstruction,” Mahbub Anam, a director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), told reporters.

Mortaza will travel to Australia later this month for surgery in Melbourne and will then undergo rehabilitation.—Reuters