Shakib quells uncertainty over participation against Sri Lanka

GBNews24 Desk//

Bangladesh ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan quelled the uncertainty over his participation in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka by stating that he is available for the series, starting from the next month.

“I don’t think there was any reason to doubt it (Sri Lanka series). Yes, if there is emergency, that would have been different case. But I will definitely play,” Shakib said here today after arriving in Dhaka from USA.

Shakib though played the ODI series against South Africa, he missed the Test series due to the family emergency.

For the same reason, there was uncertainty over whether he could play a home series against Sri Lanka.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was in fact waiting for his decision as the selectors need to know who will remain available for the series, BSS reports.

Shakib however went to play the ODI series in South Africa after some drama. He was granted a leave to skip the whole South Africa series after he cited mental fatigue. The BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon indeed was unhappy about his decision though he didn’t have any reservation to grant the leave.

Shakib then changed his mind in a week and decided to play both ODI and Test series in South Africa.

The ace allrounder in fact played a key in helping Bangladesh to win their first ever ODI on South African soil as the Tiger beat South Africa by 38 runs in the first match. Bangladesh then went on to clinch a historic ODI series, beating the Proteas by 2-1 in three-match series.

Shakib played the third ODI which Bangladesh won by nine wickets to win the series eventually through a mental agony, knowing that almost all of his family members including his two babies and mother were hospitalized with various illness.