Birmingham Phoenix to assess Mustafizur's fitness ahead of 2026 season

Despite remaining uncertain for The Hundred, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman will join up with Birmingham Phoenix as originally planned ahead of the 2026 edition of the tournament.

The left-arm fast bowler suffered a hamstring tear and a meniscal degeneration in his right knee and as a result was ruled out of the remainder of Bangladesh's tour of Zimbabwe. James Thomas, Performance Director for Birmingham Phoenix, said on Saturday that they will make a call after assessing his injury.

"Having discussed Mustafizur's injuries with him and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, it has been agreed that he will travel to Birmingham as planned next week to be assessed by our medical department, after which we can determine whether he will be able to play any part in The Hundred this year," Thomas said in a statement.

"We are hopeful than Mustafizur will be able to represent Birmingham Phoenix this year, but will make sure we have plans in place for all possible outcomes of our assessment. Until then, we wish Mustafizur all the best in his recovery and we will continue to work closely with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to ensure we are joined up in our approach to further assess the injury and plan appropriate return to play protocols," he added.

Mustafizur had received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the full Hundred season, scheduled from July 20 to August 20. He's set to become the first Bangladesh player to feature in England's franchise competition after Phoenix signed him for his base price of GBP 100,000 in the draft.