Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan has struck back at Shakib Al Hasan after the allrounder stated his reluctance to go South Africa next week. Hassan questioned Shakib’s dedication, wondering if he would have preferred a similar sabbatical from the IPL if he had been chosen in the auction.
For the majority of 2022, Shakib had told the BCB that he only wanted to play white-ball cricket. He declared himself available for the IPL during Bangladesh’s Tests against South Africa in March and April, but after he was passed up by none of the teams, the BCB anticipated he’d be available for the next Tests against South Africa.
“I think it is logical to think that if he was in a poor physical and mental state, he wouldn’t have given his name in the IPL [auction],” Hassan said. “But he went ahead with it. So, does it mean that if he got his IPL contract, he would have said the same thing? We can’t do anything if he doesn’t want to play [for Bangladesh]. But he can’t keep saying I will play this game, I won’t play that game. We are soft on those who we love, but they also have to be professional. Otherwise, we will have to make decisions that no one will like.”
After the third ODI against Afghanistan last week Hassan said that Shakib agreed to travel South Africa for both the ODIs and Tests. Shakib was selected for both teams, but he said on Sunday that he wanted a hiatus.
He told the BCB that he could skip the ODI series in order to return psychologically and physically fresh for the Test series later on the tour.
According to the BCB President, players have been requested to notify the board ahead of time if they choose to forgo a certain format. Tamim Iqbal was left out of last year’s T20 World Cup and has lately stated that he does not want to be considered for this year’s tournament as well. Hassan was enraged when Mahmudullah resigned from Test cricket in the middle of a one-off match against Zimbabwe in July.
“I have been clear with everyone that they must inform us beforehand if they don’t want to play a particular format,” Hassan said. “But they shouldn’t do all this. It is not desirable.
“What Riyad did was totally unacceptable. He had come to my house to tell me that he is available for all three formats. Tamim had informed me [about his decision to opt out of T20Is].”
Last month, Shakib Al Hasan missed out on the Test series against New Zealand citing personal concerns. He took a leave of absence for the first time during the 2017-18 South African tour, and then he missed the Sri Lanka Tests last year owing to his IPL obligations.
Shakib has been a very irregular candidate of the Bangladesh team’s Test setup since the 2017-18 South Africa series. He has appeared in less than 40% of the Tests, the reasons for which include injury, his one-year suspension for failing to disclose a corrupt approach, and the rest due to personal reasons.
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