Veteran allrounder Shakib Al Hasan is set to miss the three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, to be played in Sharjah from November 6. It will be the second straight series that Shakib will miss after the ongoing Test series against South Africa.
While it is not official yet, BCB president Faruque Ahmed has stated that it is unlikely for Shakib to be available for the series against Afghanistan. However, the legendary all-rounder will be considered for the West Indies tour.
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Shakib Al Hasan is set to miss the ODI series against Afghanistan
Shakib Al Hasan has not played any sort of cricket since the second Test against India at Kanpur, which Bangladesh lost. It also turned out to be the last Test of his career as he could not come to Bangladesh to play his farewell Test at Dhaka due to security concerns.
The allrounder is now expected to play for Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League to get some match practice ahead of the West Indies tour. BCB president Faruque Ahmed did a press conference and informed that it was Shakib’s decision to opt-out of the series.
Faruque Ahmed reasons why Shakib Al Hasan will miss Afghanistan ODIs
Ahmed stated that Shakib needs some match practice and will play a T10 tournament to get some game time under his belt. Faruque backed Shakib to keep playing the ODI format despite having retired from Tests and T20Is.
“After Shakib (Al Hasan) couldn’t come to play his (farewell) Test, he wasn’t doing much practice. I think he needs some time to regroup. We haven’t taken a final decision but he looks unlikely to play the next series (against Afghanistan),” Ahmed told the reporters.
“He is likely to miss the series. He could be playing a T10 tournament soon. I feel he can still play for Bangladesh in the 50-over format. There are three ODIs against West Indies before the Champions Trophy,” he added.
Shakib Al Hasan has already retired from Tests and T20Is and is only available for ODIs now. With the Champions Trophy to be played earlier next year, his experience could prove to be crucial for Bangladesh.
Will Shakib Al Hasan play ODIs against West Indies?
Faruque Ahmed also said that the board will consider him for West Indies ODIs if they consider his match practice and preparation as enough for him to be playing internationals for Bangladesh.
“Shakib has played for 17 years and he is part of the generation that plays a lot of franchise cricket. They know the drill. They play, sleep maybe a few hours and turn up for training. So, he is geared for such situations.”
“It is the definitely the best possible thing to train with the team but we will consider him if the selection committee thinks that he can still deliver by training or playing tournaments abroad,” the BCB president explained.
Bangladesh will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is on their tour of West Indies. Shakib Al Hasan could play the ODIs on this tour if he is considered match-fit by the selectors. The ODIs will be Bangladesh’s last before the next year’s Champions Trophy.
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