Mustafizur to travel to Sussex, provided he gets visa

Dhaka, July 2 (CRICKETNMORE): Having regained his fitness, Bangladesh bowling ace Mustafizur Rahman will leave for England to join Sussex on July 12 or 13, provided he gets visa.

If the travel is cleared, he is likely to play his first English county match on July 15.

On Friday, Bangladesh Cricket Board Media Committee Chairman Jalal Yunus said the youngster had applied for visa.

"Our medical team has informed us his (Mustafizur) rehabilitation went well and he is fine now -- he is bowling in the nets,” Yunus was quoted as saying by a news agency agency.

"He will keep improving in the coming days. If he gets visa, he will head for England on Jul 12 or 13," Yunus added.

Sussex are hoping to have Mustafizur when they take on Hampshire in their backyard, Hove, on July 15.

Forced to wait for Mustafizur for an extended period of time, Sussex have roped in Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara as a replacement.

Coach Mark Davis' men have already played eight matches in the Natwest T20 Blast. They are fourth in the points table with eight points in the South Group.

If Mustafizur can join up with the team by July 13, he will be able to play at least four matches in the group stage.

Apart from playing in the T20 tournament, the lanky 20-year-old left-arm seamer will also feature in the Royal London One-Day Cup, in which Sussex will have four matches in hand after July 13.

If Sussex advance beyond the group stage, the number of matches will obviously go up.

But if they fail, Mustafizur is likely to return home in the first week of August as Sussex's last pool phase match in the One-Day Cup is set for August 2.

Agency.