Clouds around Shakib Al Hasan playing in Bangladesh’s two-match Test series in South Africa have seemingly disappeared as the Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan said on Monday that the all-rounder will be available for the series.
Bangladesh will tour South Africa in March to play three ODIs and two Tests. Shakib was available to play in the One-Day Internationals, but asked for a six-month leave from Tests, starting with the series against the Proteas.
He asked for this leave to play in the Indian Premier League and BCB had granted him leave before the IPL auction, but as the all-rounder remained unsold, the situation changed.
BCB President Nazmul, after Bangladesh’s third ODI against Afghanistan, confirmed that Shakib will also be playing the Test series in South Africa.
“As he won’t be playing in IPL, I see no reason that he won’t be playing in Tests against South Africa. He is going to South Africa to play ODIs. So, won’t he play the Tests? What will he do, fly back home? He will play.
“I told him today (Monday) that I will talk to him after the Tests against South Africa, he smiled and told me, ‘whatever you say’. So, he will definitely play in the Tests against South Africa,” Nazmul told the media.
Nazmul said that Champaka Ramanayake, the fast bowling coach of the Bangladesh High-Performance team and the bowling coach of the Bangladesh Tigers, will travel to South Africa with the team.
“We have not had concrete talks with anyone for the bowling coach role. Champaka will go to South Africa with the team,” he said.
Bangladesh’s tour against South Africa will start on March 18 with the ODI in Centurion.
The remaining two will be on March 20 and 23, with the first Test starting at Kingsmead on March 31. The second Test will start on April 8 at Port Elizabeth.
