All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been granted a rest from the sport until April 30 to recover from mental and physical fatigue.
He recently informed the board that he is not ready to play due to his mental and physical state, and pretty much made it clear that he shouldn’t be touring South Africa at the moment. Consequently, BCB president Nazmul Hasan questioned the star allrounder’s commitment to the national team. A break has, however, been granted to the veteran by the board.
“He told me that he is not physically or mentally fit to play and wants to miss the South Africa series, and we have decided to rest him until April 30,” BCB cricket operation chairman Jalal Yunus told reporters on Wednesday.
According to the BCB announcement, Shakib will not be available for the Dhaka Premier League, the country’s traditional club-based 50-over tournament, for Mohammedan Sporting Club.
He attended the MSC jersey unveiling event hours before announcing that he is not ready to play international cricket due to mental and physical fatigue, and stated that he is happy to be a part of MSC and looking forward to playing the league.
Shakib was banned from the DPL last year for misbehaving with the umpires while leading MSC in the tournament. Shakib will meet with the BCB president after returning from Dubai and disclose his future plans to Jalaal, chairman of the cricket operation of the BCB.
“He’ll discuss his plan with the BCB president tomorrow,” he said. The board is trying to resolve the Shakib issue as soon as possible since his availability has become a major concern.
“It’s time to put a full stop to this,” Bangladesh technical director Khaled Mahmud told reporters. “The BCB has the authority to dictate. He (Shakib) cannot say I will play or I will not play. If someone doesn’t want to play, he can quit. If he wants to play, he can play. If he needs a break, he can take a break. No one is stopping anyone.”.
“Cricket is a mental game. If he isn’t mentally strong then it will be difficult for him because of the South African conditions.”
