BCB allows Shakib leave

Shakib Al Hasan’s South Africa tour saga has finally come to an end as the Bangladesh Cricket Board granted him leave from all formats until April 30 on Wednesday.

Shakib had previously said on Sunday that he was mentally and physically not ready to play international cricket, which surprised the BCB hierarchy as the all-rounder had previously agreed to play in both the One-Day International and Test series in South Africa.

The Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee at BCB, Jalal Yunus, confirmed that Shakib will not be playing in South Africa.

“Shakib has informed us that he is not in optimum mental and physical condition to play international cricket at the moment and has requested to be rested from the Tour of South Africa. As the matter concerns one of the most important members of the team, the Board has taken all aspects into consideration and has agreed to give him a break from the game,” Jalal said.

He added, “We wanted him to play all the formats, especially in South Africa, but he told us that he is not mentally or physically fit. He sent us an SMS saying that he didn’t want to tour South Africa.”

The leave was also for domestic cricket, meaning Shakib will not be allowed to play in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League, starting from March 15.

“He will not be involved in any form of cricket, international or domestic, until 30 April 2022. We hope he will return re-energised and fully fit for the ensuing cricketing commitments,” Jalal added.

Shakib had previously asked for a six-month leave from Tests to play in the Indian Premier League, but after staying unsold in the auction, he informed BCB that he will be available for the whole South Africa tour and was included in both squads.

But then came the twist as Shakib, before leaving for Dubai to shoot an advertisement with handset manufacturing company ‘Oppo’, said he wanted a break, and maybe he will not play the ODI series and then play in the red-ball format.

BCB officials, before the official decision on Wednesday, had hinted they would take the hard-line on Shakib, but as it turned out, they did not as expected.

Jalal explained that as there is a T20I World Cup later this year, they preferred to keep him fit and running.

“He is an important player for us, and we have a T20 World Cup this year, so we need him fit. However, he emphasised that his mental state is not good at this moment, and his motivation to play is not quite there,” he said.

He is also informed that BCB President Nazmul will discuss Shakib’s Test future with the player after he returns to Bangladesh, which is supposed to be today.

“Shakib will come back to Bangladesh tomorrow (today), and we will sit with him to discuss his future plan if he wants to continue playing Test cricket or not. The Board President will also be in talks with him regarding this matter,” he said.

Since his return from banishment, Shakib skipped two Test series, against Sri Lanka to play in the Indian Premier League and against New Zealand for family reasons.

Jalal also said it was not a good example for youngsters that Shakib had expressed his desire for a break to the media.

“He (Shakib) should’ve discussed the matter with us first, and it’s not a good example for the young players,” the Cricket Operations Chairman said.

He informed that nobody would replace Shakib in the ODI squad as Bangladesh will include players from the Test squad for the 50-over series.

“We already have 16 players in the ODI squad, and the Test team will be going to South Africa with the ODI team. So, we will include players from the Test side to the ODI squad,” Jalal informed.