DHAKA: Bangladesh's injured captain Mashrafe Mortaza will travel to Australia this week for medical treatment on his knee, the country's cricket authorities said Wednesday.

Mortaza hurt his right knee while bowling in the first Test match against the West Indies at Kingstown, St Vincent last month.

The 25-year-old fast bowler missed the rest of the tour, in which Bangladesh won all three One Day Internationals and two Test matches.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said Mortaza would leave for Melbourne Thursday to consult orthopaedic surgeon David Young.

Bangladeshi newspapers said Mortaza's knee required surgery that would see him sidelined for nearly a year.