Rangpur Riders heave a sigh of relief as their premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will not require any surgery at the moment for his eye problem.  

Shakib missed Rangpur’s second match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League 2024 (BPL) against Sylhet Strikers, held in Dhaka on Tuesday.

After Rangpur’s opening match against Fortune Barishal, which held on 20 January, the all-rounder left for Singapore on 21 January to have an eye check-up his eye problem recurred.

Many felt Shakib might require operation to fix his eye problem and if that was the case his participation in the ongoing T20 event could have been in doubt.

But, it was learnt that he is not required to go under the knife as he will be doing conservative treatment for the next two weeks.

“Let him come and we will see but at the moment he doesn’t need any operation and he can even play while going through conservative treatment,” an official of Riders told Daily Sun on Wednesday.

It is not sure whether Shakib will be available for Rangpur when they take on Khulna Tigers in the opening game of the Sylhet phase at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on 26 January, but the team are hoping him to be available sooner than later.

“His (Shakib) return to the team will naturally boost our strength,” the official further added.

Shakib scored just two runs against Fortune Barisal before was bowled by Khaled Ahmed, but showcased his bowling prowess by claiming 2 wickets for 16 runs in four overs.

It was reported Shakib had eye issue during the previous ICC World Cup, while in the recent past he went to London to have a checkup before returning to Dhaka on 18 January and later going to Singapore for a second opinion.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) senior physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said about Shakib’s eye issues, “Shakib has been complaining of subtle issues with his left eye. After consulting Ophthalmologists in Bangladesh and abroad and after multiple eye assessments, it was confirmed that he is suffering from Extrafoveal Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSR) of the left eye. It has been decided that a conservative approach will be adopted for managing the issue for now.”

“Extrafoveal Central Serous Chorioretinopathy is a condition that affects the retina, leading to visual disturbances. The medical team overseeing Shakib's case is optimistic about managing the condition effectively with a conservative approach,” he ended.