Shakib Al Hasan. (Source – Getty Images)
With seasoned campaigner of Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan, already missing out on the ongoing Test series against South Africa which further implied him not obtaining the farewell from the red-ball game at his home ground, there has been considerable speculation regarding his participation in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
However, the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Faruque Ahmed, confirmed the availability of Shakib for the upcoming ODIs against Afghanistan.
“Regarding Shakib Al Hasan, since the team (for the three ODIs against Afghanistan) has not been given yet, it means he is available,” stated Faruque, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Faruque also clarified that the BCB as well as he did their utmost to ensure Shakib retired from the red-ball format at home (referring to the first Test against the Proteas). However, he pointed out that there were certain crucial factors which were out of the board’s control, and which were better decided by Shakib and the law enforcement authorities.
“The law enforcement forces, the government and Shakib were [involved]. We are totally an auxiliary part in this. Personally, I tried my level best so that Shakib can get his retirement at home. But Shakib is not just a player, he was an MP under the last government. There are some sentiments there. As a former player I saw that a boy played cricket for 17 years, he is a brand ambassador, he has done lot for Bangladesh and I believed it would have been good, But we have to see the other things. Considering all that, he could not arrive in the last minute but the board had nothing to do with it,” noted Faruque.
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At this moment, there hasn’t been any conversation with him directly: Faruque
When queried on the hot cake of whether Najmul Hossain Shanto would be continuing as the skipper of Bangladesh post the conclusion of the second Test, Faruque was firm but easy-going with his explanation that there should be no barriers in communicaton between the players and the board. He also emphasized the need for an organized flow of information, so as to get to the root of the matter.
“Players actually need to be more aware of this, whatever they feel about it. Not about chain of command, I think there are a number of steps that could be taken, such as reaching out to Cricket Operations, the CEO, or the President. I hope players will be mindful of this. The easiest option is if someone simply says, ‘I don’t want to do it, thank you,’ and leaves. That’s the easiest option. But if you really dig down to understand why they don’t want to continue, and whether there are any underlying reasons, it’s important to discuss those issues. We will talk,” noted Faruque.
Faruque reasoned that ever since he was appointed as the president of the administration, the Bangladesh Premier League has been the major topic of discussion, and that he would be keen on having a chat with Shanto on the same.
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“Since taking on responsibility, we’ve had to handle forming BPL teams and several other issues that required our attention. I only got the chance to talk to the players once, and only 8-10 of them came, where we discussed about BPL only. I’ll be flying to Chattogram tonight to try to meet with the team, the coach, and everyone. Hopefully, there will be some outcome. I won’t know until we sit down together and talk. At this moment, there hasn’t been any conversation with him directly,” concluded Faruque.