‘Shakib has not been interested in playing Tests for some time now’

Bangladesh Test and T20 skipper Shakib Al Hasan had expressed that he was not keen to captain Bangladesh and said it would have been ideal if he was not captain as it would lend him more time to focus on his own game. Talking to the media today, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president said that Shakib's statement could be a gesture to show disinterest in Test cricket.

After Bangladesh's loss to Afghanistan in the one-off Test at Chattogram, Shakib said that 'there must be discussion about lots of issues' if he is to lead the team. "I am not really interested in leading in any format," the Test and T20 skipper said after the defeat.

Asked about Shakib's captaincy, the BCB chief remarked: "It's difficult. But it's true that we have seen he is less interested in Tests for some time now. Especially when the team is touring outside, he asks for a break. Naturally maybe he is not very interested."

The president however informed that he had talked to Shakib and there was no mention of captaincy when the two spoke.

"We've never heard that he is not interested in captaincy. But if you are captain then you will have to play Tests. If you aren't captain then maybe you can sit out. I think that's why naturally all this talk of captaincy is coming."

Shakib was tremendous in the recently-concluded World Cup before he sat out the ODI series in Sri Lanka, only returning to the side with the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

"He [Shakib] has given a lot of service and we think he is the best captain. He hasn't told us anything yet and only told the media that 'if I remain, I will hold talks with the board'. I talked to him yesterday and there was no discussion of this topic. Since there is a series going on, it's the right time to talk about it. If he had raised the topic, of course we would have discussed it."