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The BCB has decided not to include Shakib Al Hasan in the ODI squad. |
However, Shakib has not retired from ODI cricket yet. His wish is to continue playing this version of cricket until the upcoming Champions Trophy. But will Bangladesh's all-time greatest cricketer get that opportunity?
The chances are gradually decreasing. Because, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is going to announce the team without him in the only ODI series that Bangladesh will play before the Champions Trophy, the three ODI series against the West Indies. A BCB source said that the selectors have already submitted the team for the ODI series against the West Indies to the board. Shakib's name is not in it as the board has instructed not to keep Shakib in the team.
There are various discussions about why not. According to media reports, Shakib had given some conditions to the BCB about playing in the West Indies series. The BCB did not respond to that, so Shakib is also unlikely to play in the ODI series starting on December 8. He is currently playing for the Bengal Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T-10 League.
After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, Shakib was accused in a murder case. He was recently fined Tk 50 lakh for his involvement in share manipulation. The bank accounts of Shakib and his wife have been frozen. In this situation, Shakib has reportedly asked the government through the BCB for freedom to play on domestic soil, open a bank account, and guarantee to return to the country and go abroad.
However, a responsible source at the BCB told Prothom Alo today that they are not aware of Shakib giving any such conditions. A board official, who asked not to be named, gave a different reason for Shakib's absence from the ODI team.
The board official told Prothom Alo over the phone, "We feel that Shakib's mental state at the moment is not in a good condition for playing due to various reasons. Playing the franchise T-10 League and playing international cricket for the national team are not the same thing. That is why we felt that it is better for Shakib not to play in the West Indies series. The selection committee has been informed of the board's attitude.
Although there is no reason to exclude Shakib from the cricketing considerations, it is because of this attitude of the board that Gazi Ashraf Hossain's selection committee ultimately did not include Shakib in the team. In fact, there should be no outside influence on the selection committee's decision in the team selection. But the people concerned feel that the matter of Shakib is 'sensitive', and the decision not to include him in the team falls under the level of 'policy-making'. That is why the board has given the selection committee a message that they should select the team for the ODI series excluding Shakib. The selectors have also done so. Now, all that remains is to officially announce the team.
Earlier, Shakib did not play in the three-match ODI series held in Sharjah on November 6, 9 and 11. That was his own decision, of course. Before announcing the squad for the Afghanistan series, BCB President Farooq Ahmed told reporters in Chittagong, "Since Shakib tried but could not play the last Test in the country, it seems that he has not been practicing much. He needs some time to prepare himself. His chances of playing in the next series (Afghanistan) are low. It depends on his mental state."
The BCB is also unofficially saying the same thing about Shakib's absence from the West Indies series - that Shakib is not in a mental state to play. However, it is not known whether Shakib himself has told the BCB anything like this. Even when trying to contact Shakib to find out about this, he could not be reached on his mobile phone. No one from the BCB agreed to comment.
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