Once again at the doorstep of an important away series for the Bangladesh cricket team, uncertainty reigns over the participation of its most accomplished player, and days are spent in limbo rather than the planning that can prepare the team to execute better once the competitive cricket resumes.
Bangladesh are all set to fly to South Africa on March 11 to play a three-match ODI and a two-match Test series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has already announced the both ODI and Test squad for this tour, and Shakib is included in both squads. But Shakib has now said he doesn’t know if he is going to play in South Africa.
A similar uncertainty about Shakib’s participation ahead of an away series took place prior to Bangladesh’s last New Zealand tour when BCB included Shakib in the squad, and the all-rounder eventually pulled out of the team after that.
Before flying to the UAE due to a personal commitment, of which there are increasingly more these days, on Sunday Shakib intimated that he is not in a good mental and physical state to take part in the South Africa tour.
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He also said if he skips the ODIs, he might get his interest back and subsequently participate in the Tests. It was a shocking
It’s not clear what exactly happened to the all-rounder that has damaged his interest to play cricket. But it’s clear that his recent performances don’t meet the standard he set over the years.
In the home series against Afghanistan, Shakib scored 74 runs in five matches and bagged seven wickets, though he played better in the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) representing Fortune Barishal.
Although to be fair, the depleted BPL stage can hardly hold a candle to international cricket these days.
“I didn't enjoy playing ODIs or T2oIs in the Afghanistan series,” Shakib said on Sunday before leaving for the UAE. “I felt like a passenger in the recent series which was not expected. I don’t think I can play a lot of international cricket in this mental state.
Continuing to beat on himself over his subpar performances, Shakib broached the mental health card, that has been used by a number of leading international players recently to take sudden, indefinite breaks from the game.
"I want to meet the expectation when I play. It shouldn't be my way of playing in this mental situation. I don’t want to waste time, I don’t want to waste someone’s spot. It will be betraying my country and team-mates if I play like a passenger,” Shakib added.
During the Afghanistan series, Nazmul Hasan, the president of BCB, hinted that Shakib would tour South Africa. So the president is surprised that Shakib said he is not mentaly ready to take part in this series.
The 34-year-old all-rounder made it clear that he likes to focus on white-ball cricket more than red-ball one.
He said: “I want to stay out of Test cricket till late November this year, and I have said it to the board. As we have to play two World Cups in the next two years, I want to concentrate more on white-ball cricket. But I also want to make it clear that I’m not leaving Test cricket entirely.”
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The leading all-rounder across all three formats of his era doesn't seem to realise that is not an entirely straightforward position he has taken. Shakib turns 35 later this month. Is he really in a position to propose a two-year sabbatical from a format, with a view to return written into it?
And what has given him the idea that everything in Bangladesh cricket must be staked in these two 'white ball World Cups' in the next two years?
This is the second South Africa tour where Shakib is going to skip the Tests. Earlier in 2017, Shakib missed the Tests in South Africa tour when he was on a six-month break from the format. Along with that, he also missed the last two New Zealand tours for personal reasons.
And he also missed a series against Sri Lanka to take part in the Indian Premier League’s last edition saying that would help him to do well in the T20 World Cup that took place in 2021 in Oman and UAE. However, Shakib judged it wrong as he failed to do well both in IPL and the T20 World Cup.