Shakib stays in SA despite family emergency

Shakib Al Hasan, who once thought of coming back to Bangladesh from South Africa to stay beside his ailing family members, has changed his mind and will be staying back, said Khaled Mahmud.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board director, also the team director of the national team, told the media that Shakib is staying for the series-deciding third One-Day International of the series against the Proteas.

“He (Shakib) has a family emergency. Many of his family members are ill. Maybe that’s why he had a doubt. He is in continuous contact with Dhaka, maybe that’s why there was an urge to go back to his family members. Often, we have to book tickets for him,” the former captain told the media in South Africa.

“There was a talk about Shakib going back to Bangladesh today, he wanted to go at one point but he changed the decision. He packed his bags, but later he decided to stay. He is staying for the third ODI. He will go after playing the match,” Mahmud told the media.

Meanwhile, cricket operations chairman at the BCB, Jalal Yunus, told the media that they are open to any decision from Shakib.

“His children are sick. His mother, mother-in-law all are sick. If he feels that his family needs his presence, he can come anytime. We will leave everything on Shakib,” Jalal said on Monday at his office.

With the predicament, Shakib’s chances of playing the Test series against South Africa is also unlikely.

“If the situation is such, there are chances of him missing the Test series,” Jalal told the reporters.

As Mahmud said that Shakib will call the shots after playing the third ODI, there are chances that Bangladesh will have to play the Test series without the allrounder once again.

Before going to South Africa, Shakib told the reporters that he was not in a mental state to play cricket.

BCB granted him leave till April 30, but Shakib took a 180-degree turn to play in the South Africa series.

Altogether, Shakib’s availability in the South Africa series has been an issue that kept changing colour from time to time, and on Monday was another episode of that prolonged saga where he changed his mind once again after BCB allowed him to come.