BCB to sit with Shakib on Test availability for next one year
An interview from BCB president Nazmul Hassan recently revealed that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had asked for a six-month break from Test cricket through a letter sent before the IPL auctions.
Although Shakib's name came up on back-to-back days of the IPL auctions, he remained unsold in the end. The BCB wants to learn whether he will now make himself available for the South Africa Tests, having initially excused the all-rounder from the upcoming Test series on his own request to play the IPL. Shakib did make himself available for the ODI series which is to begin from March 18. More, importantly, BCB wants a definitive idea about which Tests Shakib will make himself available for in the near future.
"Shakib had given a letter requesting for exemption from Test assignments for six months, but that was before the IPL auction. Later following meetings, it was decided that he will play the Sri Lanka series but will be allowed to skip the South Africa Tests.
"That was the situation. Since he isn't going to the IPL the scenario has changed. He said that tomorrow or after the ODI series, he will sit down with the BCB president. So we will have to wait till then (regarding his decision)," BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Jalal Yunus told media.
Last year, the board had provided contracts for white-ball and red-ball formats separately. The players were asked which formats they want to continue in. Shakib had not asked to sit down red-ball matches.
Asked if Shakib is being allowed to pick and choose matches, Jalal informed: "It's not about picking or chooseing, there might be a case that someone has a problem. Maybe a player has expressed wish to play all three formats, if a player wants to play a certain format or he may miss a few matches, we don't create a binding that they will have to play all matches."
The board is looking to understand the number of Test matches that Shakib might make himself available for.
"He can say that there are this many Test matches and I want to play this many. That's how we will consider the basis of the whole thing," Jalal said.
"If he feels that he will play this year but not the next year, that he will play this many Tests, that kind of freedom can exist for a cricketer. Let's see what he says," he said.
The conversation with BCB will not only include South Africa Tests.
"We want to know his overall plan for the next one year," Jalal said.
There had been news in the media that Shakib does not want to play Tests, especially after previous cricket operations chairman Akram Khan had informed the media during a brief that Shakib does not want to play Tests.
"At times you have heard and then written that he does not want to play Tests. Many times we also heard that he wants to continue Tests. So we want to know his plan," he informed.
It was learned that Shakib, who will be in Dhaka along with the rest of the ODI and T20I sides after the completion of the third ODI today, will sit down with BCB tomorrow.
Although the BCB wants to ensure that Shakib is available for national duty, the board will perhaps not take a hard stance regarding the all-rounder's choice of Test series he will make himself available for. Just as the IPL auctions had seen the scenario change after Shakib's letter, such scenarios can arise again. The BCB will not want to be in a situation where they cannot get one of their best players available before a particular series because they had agreed to allow him to skip the assignment without taking the changing nature of Shakib's scheduling and other activities into consideration.
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