Shakib Al Hasan
“Mentally and physically unfit” Shakib to stay away from cricket: Jalal
Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is all set to skip the South Africa tour, confirmed Jalal Yunus, the chairman of the cricket operation department of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
“I have talked to Shakib today and asked about his plan. He said he is unfit mentally and physically. He is reluctant to tour to South Africa,” Jalal told the media on Wednesday.
Read: BCB can't run after Shakib: Khaled Mahmud
He also said the board has decided to Shakib until the end of April.
“I along with the board president, CEO and other board directors decided to rest him as he has been suffering from mental and physical fatigue. He will now be out of all forms of cricket,” Jalal added.
It means the all-rounder might be available for the Dhaka Premier Divison Cricket League. Shakib is supposed to play for Mohammedan Sporting Club in this 50-over event in Dhaka.
“He told the media that he is not mentally fit to play now. Now can you force someone to play who is not fit? We had told him to take a few days to think more. He now told us that he is not set to play,” Jalal added.
BCB has recently announced two squads for the tour of South Africa where Bangladesh are scheduled to play a three-match ODI and two-match Test series. Shakib was part of the squads.
Read: Is Shakib Al Hasan Considering Retirement?
However, on Sunday, Shakib said he is not in a condition to play international cricket at the moment due to mental and physical fatigue.
At the same time, the 34-year-old all-rounder said he likes to focus more on white-ball cricket instead of red-ball cricket.
It’s not clear if Shakib will nbe available for all formats after this hiatus. “He will return home tomorrow (Thursday) from the UAE. After that, he wants to sit with the board to discuss further his future plan,” Jalal added.
This is not the first time Shakib is skipping a foreign tour. Earlier, he skipped the Test series in South Africa in 2017. He also skipped the last two tours to New Zealand, and he also skipped a series against Sri Lanka to take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Khaled Mahmud, the former captain of Bangladesh and the current board director, has recently said the senior players like Shakib, Mushfiqur (Rahim), Tamim (Iqbal), and Mahmudullah (Riyad) are at the end of their career, so the board should introduce new faces who could serve the nation for a longer time.
“We have to accept this truth,” he told the media on Tuesday. “If Shakib doesn't want to play, the board doesn't care about it. We have to bring new players to the fore.”
BCB can't run after Shakib: Khaled Mahmud
Khaled Mahmud Shujon, the former captain of Bangladesh and now a director at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has said if Shakib Al Hasan is reluctant to play for the national team, the BCB cannot be bothered to persuade him.
After being named in the squads for the Test and ODI teams to tour South Africa this month, Shakib once again disappointed Tigers fans by declaring he isn't mentally or physically fit to play international cricket, before catching a flight to the UAE.
The Bangladesh team will travel for South Africa on March 11, and the first match of the series will take place on March 18.
Nazmul Hasan, the president of BCB, had earlier said Shakib would travel to South Africa. But on Sunday, just before flying for the UAE, Shakib expressed his reluctance to play international cricket for now to a group of journalists at the airport.
Read: Is Shakib Al Hasan Considering Retirement?
“As far as I knew Shakib would tour South Africa. I’m not sure why he said otherwise now,” Mahmud told the media on Wednesday. “Cricket is not only a physical game but it is also a mental game. So if someone is not fit in both ways, it’s tough to play cricket. And if someone is not interested to play, there is no scope to force him to play.”
Shakib has missed the Test series in the last South Africa tour as well along with two consecutive series in New Zealand. He also skipped a series against Sri Lanka to take part in the Indian Premier League citing that it would help him to do well in the T20 World Cup that has taken place in Oman and UAE last year.
Following his about-turn, the BCB president questioned whether Shakiub's mental and physical issues, such as they are, would have popped up if he had managed to obtain the IPL contract he coveted.
Consider it beneath the dignity of the country's cricket board, BCB follows a policy of not trying to persuade anyone who doesn't want to play for the national team, considering it an honour and privilege that should take no persuasion.
Mahmud said that Bangladesh has different plans for every tour. If Shakib finally skips this tour, they would go with the other plans.
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“Shakib has been doing this for a while now. We know Shakib is a man of his own way. But at the same time, Bangladesh has a huge investment in Shakib and the players like Mushfiqur (Rahim), Mahmudullah (Riyad) and others. So it’s also important that the country need their service and commitment,” Mahmud added.
The former captain also said the BCB is looking for new faces who could serve the national team for a longer period of time.
“It’s true that we won’t have the service of Shakib and other big players forever. So we have to find new faces. We have already started working on that. The new players will come ahead and they will also play well. It’s true and we have to accept this,” Mahmud added.
Is Shakib Al Hasan Considering Retirement?
Shakib Al Hasan assured BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon that he will be available for the South Africa trip in both ODI and Test formats. Shakib was not selected in the IPL 2022 auction, so he will be free in March and April. The BCB was confident that he would be available throughout the upcoming series. However, Shakib's participation in the next South Africa series has been hit by a huge setback when he refused to confirm his availability for the tour on Monday (March 7).
The dispute between the BCB President and Shakib Al Hasan
BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon said after the third match of the Afghanistan ODI series that Shakib Al Hasan has agreed to tour South Africa. Therefore, Shakib was included in both the ODI and Test series squads, which were released on Sunday (March 6).
Read Rumana Ahmed on the verge of reaching two milestones as first Bangladeshi woman cricketer
Shakib Al Hasan departed Dhaka for the UAE the next day, on Monday. He spoke with the press before leaving Bangladesh. Shakib stated to the media that he is in poor mental and physical condition following a disappointing performance during the Afghanistan series. Therefore, playing in such conditions would have a negative impact on a team's performance. Because the ace all-rounder believes he will fall short of expectations and does not want to be a passenger on the squad. Earlier, Shakib told BCB that he would be available for the tour. However, Shakib believes that touring with the Bangladesh national team would be unjust considering his current state of mind.
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Meanwhile, the BCB President became enraged after hearing Shakib's explanation to the media. According to Nazmul Hasan Papon, Shakib Al Hasan would not have stated the same if he had been picked by any side in the IPL 2022. He also warns senior players that if they don't act more professionally, the BCB would take more serious measures against them.
What exactly was Shakib Al Hasan's intention?
There is no denying that finding a successor for Shakib Al Hasan is impossible. He is a one-of-a-kind talent who excels with both the bat and the ball. However, Shakib's performance since returning to international cricket has been subpar, particularly in the batting department. Shakib has only four fifties with no century since 2021.
Read IND vs SL 2022: India celebrate thumping victory, Virat’s 100th Test touches another milestone
Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round stats since January 2021
Match
Runs
HS
Ave
Wickets
BBI
Ave
35
845
96*
25.60
54
5/30
20.35
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Allan Donald: What Can Bangladesh Cricket Expect From Their New Pace Bowling Coach?
Furthermore, Shakib's IPL 2021 statistics was underwhelming, which was one of the main reasons no franchise bid for him at the IPL 2022 auction. Therefore, it's understandable that Shakib Al Hasan's mental and physical health isn't in the best shape right now. Maybe in the back of his mind, he's thinking of retiring from international cricket. Shakib hasn't been able to live up to his expectations at the international level since 2021. He has to reflect on his mistakes in order to enhance his game. That's why Shakib requires a break, and that's precisely what he meant during the press briefing on Tuesday. Shakib has no plans to retire from international cricket anytime in the foreseeable future.
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Way Forward
If Shakib Al Hasan is able to participate in the South Africa tour, it will be fantastic news for the Bangladesh campaign. However, an unhappy Shakib cannot be a good fit for Bangladesh. Besides, he is unlikely to declare his retirement anytime soon since everyone expects him to play in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup for Bangladesh. Not just Shakib, but all of the senior members of the squad will retire from cricket at some point, and that time is rapidly approaching, which BCB must realize. The Bangladesh Cricket Board must be ready to find suitable replacements for senior players, including all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Read BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Performance Analysis of Bangladesh Cricket Team
On eve of SA tour, clouds gather again over Shakib; now 'mental health'
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.
Also read: Shakib faces row over Covid protocol breach
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.”
Also reda: Mustafizur goes to Delhi Capital, Shakib remains unsold
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.
Shakib faces row over Covid protocol breach
Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has stoked a fresh controversy for breaching Covid-19 protocols on the eve of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) finals.
A day before Friday's finals at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, the skipper of BPL team Fortune Barishal was snapped shooting for a TV commercial directed by ad guru Amitabh Reza Chowdhury.
Earlier on Thursday, he skipped the team's practice match against Comilla Victorians. Sabbir Khan, the manager of Barishal, had attributed his absence to “stomach ache”.
Also read: BPL 2022 final: Can Shakib guide Barishal to maiden title
UNB received some images of Shakib shooting for the commercial wearing a yellow polo shirt. Hours later, Shakib also posted a teaser on his social media handle wearing the same shirt.
BPL 2022 final: Can Shakib guide Barishal to maiden title
Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians are all set to lock their horns in the final of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Friday.
Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Barishal, and Bangladesh’s best known all-rounders has a great opportunity to guide his team to the maiden title. He has won the BPL title on a number of occasions previously for several teams.
Shakib was not present in the last practice session ahead of the final. Sources close to Barishal said that Shakib was suffering from “stomach ache”.
However, Shakib was not available to clear why he was not present at the last practice session.
Instead of him, Nurul Hasan Sohan was seen in the trophy unveiling event. Khaled Mahmud, the most successful coach of BPL, is confident about the good show of Shakib once again in the final.
“Our only target is to win the title,” Mahmud told the media on Thursday.
“We played really tough cricket to come to this stage. We are confident of lifting the title. And as a captain, Shakib has been doing very well. He has been leading from the front. When the captain plays well, everything becomes easier.”
Shakib has scored 277 runs and scalped 15 wickets for Barishal so far. No other Barishal batter scored more than him, and Dwayne Bravo has taken only two more wickets than Shakib.
This stat is enough to prove how dependent are Barisal on the southpaw. Even the coach of Barishal’s final opponent Comilla Victorians, Mohammed Salahuddin, also believes that they have to play against the ‘brain” of Shakib in the final.
Read: Comilla Victorians to meet Fortune Barishal in BPL 2022 Final
“The biggest strength Barishal have is Shakib,” Salahuddin said. “He has been doing fantastic as the captain. They defended some low-scoring affairs. He used his resources in the most effective way. So have to fight against him in the final.”
Comilla coach also said that his counterpart Mahmud has something special in him that made him the most successful coach in the history of BPL.
Comilla captain Imrul Kayes reckons that Shakib is more experienced than him as a captain as the latter led the Tigers in many matches in international cricket.
“Shakib is so proactive in the field, and he is more experienced than me,” Imrul told the media on Thursday. “I will also try to do more as a captain.”
Imrul has a good chance to become the only second captain after Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to win the title of BPL on more than one occasion. Mashrafe won four BPL titles while Imrul won one as the captain of the Victorians.
While Shakib was the sharpest weapon in Barishal’s arsenal, Faf du Plessis, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Moeen Ali, Mustafizur Rahman have done well for Victorians. Having more match-winners than Barishal is keeping Victorians, the two-time BPL champions, slightly ahead of Barsihal in the final.
But the players Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo are yet to display their batting prowess that can change the fate of the match at any moment. And along with them, Munim Shahriar also drew the attention of many with his power-hitting ability. The right-handed batter can also win for Barishal.
The final match starts at 5:30 pm.
Mustafizur goes to Delhi Capital, Shakib remains unsold
For the new season of the Indian Premier League, Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman went to Delhi Capital while other Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan remained unsold on day one of the mega IPL auction.
In the last edition of IPL, Mustafizur represented Rajasthan Royals. But ahead of the new season, they left him for the auction.
Mustafizur’s base price was two crores of Indian Rupees, and he was sold at his base price. Apart from Delhi, no team showed any interest in the left-arm pacer.
Also read: Mustafizur finds place in ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2021
The Bangladesh pacer played 38 matches in IPL so far after his debut back in 2016 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He played a pivotal role that year for the Sunriesres when they became the champions.
Mustafizur will have his former teammate David Warner in Delhi. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will coach this team in the IPL.
In the last edition of IPL, Shakib represented Kolkata Knight Riders who did not show any interest in the allrounder this time. It came as a surprise that no other team showed any interest in him. Shakib played 71 matches in IPL and bagged 63 wickets and scored 793 runs.
Also read: BPL 2022: Shakib Sets New Record as Fortune Barishal Secure Top Two
Oppo launches quiz contest on Shakib Al Hasan
Global smart device brand Oppo recently launched a quiz contest on its new brand ambassador – all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
The competition "Oppo Brand Ambassador Feature Quiz Competition 2022" will put the participants' knowledge about the star cricketer to the test while giving them the chance to get rewarded.
Oppo Bangladesh recently roped in Shakib Al Hasan as its new brand ambassador.
Also read: OPPO recognizes unsung heroes of Bangladesh
Some questions will be asked about Shakib and will be shared on Oppo's official Facebook page.
The participants will have to give the correct answer in the comment box with the hashtag #OPPOBrandAmbassador to become the winner.
Answers will have to be given within 72 hours of the post. One winner will be selected from each quiz and get goodies signed by Shakib, said a media statement.
Also read: Oppo, Buro to honour 3 real-life heroes
BPL 2022: Barishal continue on winning-streak
After losing two of their first three matches, Fortune Barishal are doing great at the right time.
They continued on the winning streak beating Comilla Victorians on Monday by 32 runs in Sylhet.
It was Barishal’s fourth win on a trot, and it helped them to top the points table with 11 points from eight matches they have played so far. With this victory, Barishal nearly confirmed their play-off berth.
While defending 155, Barishal bowled 16 overs of spin that the Victorians batters failed to negotite with those overs.
Barishal captain, Shakib Al Hasan, was as smart as he has always been with bowling changes which slowed down the pace of the match and eventually guided Comilla to a batting collapse.
Comilla won the toss and sent Barishal to bat first who posted 155 for five in 10 overs with Shakib hitting the highest 50 off 37 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Also read: BPL 2022: Favourites to Win Player of the Series Award
They had a flying start with the help of Munim Shahriar’s 25-ball 45 with four fours and three sixes.
However, Chris Gayle and Najmul Hossain Shanto failed to deliver well as they posted 10 and 1 respectively.
Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam took two wickets for the Victorians.
In reply, the Victorians were never able to take control of the game.
They lost captain Imrul Kayes for one, Liton Das and Mominul Haque posted 19 and 30 respectively but their efforts failed to avoid a defeat for them.
Karim Janat and Tanvir scored 17 and 21 quickly, but that also went in vain due to the failure of the middle-order. Five of Victorians’ first seven batters failed to reach a double-digit score.
They eventually tumbled for 123 for nine in 20 overs.
Right-arm spinner Nayeem Hasan took three wickets for Barishal while Shakib and Dwayne Bravo took two wickets each.
Also read: BPL 2022: Imrul, Liton guide Victorians to back on winning-streak
Both Barishal and Comilla will take on Sylhet Sunrisers on February 8 and 9 in Sylhet in their next games.
After three days of play on February 7, 8 and 9, BPL will be back to Dhaka for the final phase of the event.
Shakib completes 400 wickets in T20s
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan completed a remarkable feat of taking 400 wickets in Twenty20 cricket on Monday while playing for Fortune Barishal in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Shakib is only the fifth cricketer in history to take 400 or more wickets in the T20s. Dwyane Bravo, Imran Tahir, Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan are the other bowlers to reach the same milestone.
It was Mahmudullah Riyad, the captain of Minister Group Dhaka, who fell prey to Shakib as his 400th wicket with a catch to Dwayne Bravo— who is the holder of the record of taking most wickets in the format with more than 550 wickets to his name.
Also read: It’s great to get recognised, says Shakib after being in ICC ODI team of year
Coming into his 353rd T20s, Shakib completed this remarkable feat with four five-wicket and 10 four-wicket hauls.
Shakib’s best in the format is taking six wickets only conceding six runs in the Caribbean Premier League. Shakib also has 215 wickets in Tests and 277 wickets in ODIs.
Also read: It’s wrong that we have no player sans big guns: Shakib