Bangladesh cricket board president Faruque Ahmed has claimed that Shakib Al Hasan can still play for the national side but admitted that the final decision remains with the veteran all-rounder. Shakib Al Hasan hasn’t played any international cricket since the India Test series. The all-rounder has retired from T20Is and Tests and had hoped to bid adieu to the longest format of the game during the home series against South Africa.
But security concerns meant he didn’t get to do that and couldn’t even get to play the ODI series against Afghanistan. It has also meant that Shakib Al Hasan, who was elected as MP from the ousted Awami League government, is not named in Bangladesh’s ODI squad for tour of West Indies.
Shakib Al Hasan not picked up in the squad for West Indies due to security concerns
Shakib Al Hasan, who has retired from Test and T20Is, had hoped to play his final Test on home soil. However, security concerns thwarted those plans, as reported earlier. However, Shakib Al Hasan has expressed his desire to continue playing ODI cricket until the Champions Trophy. He did not participate in the recent ODI series last month against Afghanistan and now isn’t part of the series against West Indies, Bangladesh’s only ODI rubber before the tournament.
Shakib Al Hasan, once linked to the fallen Awami League regime and implicated in a murder case, seems yet to receive green signal from the respective authorities to play for the national team.
Faruque Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said he still believes Shakib al Hasan can play for the senior men’s team, provided he gets clearance from legal authorities. Shakib, who retired from Tests and T20Is this year, had hoped to play his final Test on home soil.
BCB Chief Faruque Ahmed Believes Shakib Al Hasan Can Still Play For Bangladesh ahead of Champions Trophy 2025
Faruque Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said he still believes Shakib al Hasan can play for the senior men’s team, provided he gets clearance from legal authorities.
Speaking during the mascot launching programme of the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, Ahmed said that he cannot give a definitive answer about Shakib as the participation of the all-rounder involves the law and the court.
“As for Shakib Al Hasan, I cannot provide a definitive answer. I want him to play, but his absence is not related to the cricket board. The reasons preventing his participation involve law enforcement and the court. It’s not easy for me to address this.”
“If the issue is resolved, I still believe Shakib has the ability to play for the national team,” said Ahmed.
He said there are thoughts to launch women’s version of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but also pointed out making the upcoming edition of the men’s tournament a success is a priority too.
Shakib Al Hasan isn’t in the mental state to contribute to the national team
Ahmed went on to say that Shakib Al Hasan doesn’t seem to be in the right mental state to contribute to the national team at the moment and they have left the decision to him when it comes to playing international cricket.
“However, playing in franchise leagues abroad and playing for the national team are not the same. The national team requires a certain combination, and Shakib doesn’t seem to be in the mental state to contribute at that level right now. We’ve left this decision to him,” he said.
Shakib Al Hasan is currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, where he represents the Bangla Tigers franchise. The reports claimed that Shakib Al Hasan will be playing for Galle Marvels in the Lanka T10 League, scheduled from December 12 to 22, during the ODI series against the West Indies National Cricket Team. The all-rounder was signed in the Platinum Player category during the pre-draft selections for the tournament
Bangladesh National Cricket Team will be soon announcing the squad, but they are awaiting the medical reports on Najmul Hossain and Towhid Hridoy before finalizing. The duo is recovering from groin injuries but the BCB is hopeful that they will play some role in the series. The ODI series between the teams will take place in St. Kitts on December 8, 10, and 12, followed by three T20Is in St. Vincent on December 15, 17, and 19.