Shakib and Mustafizur. Photo: Collected
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made seemingly contradictory decisions regarding two of its star players.
Mustafizur Rahman has been recalled from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for national duty, while Shakib Al Hasan has been granted permission to prioritize Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League matches during a T20I series of Bangladesh against Zimbabwe.
While justifying the recall of Mustafizur due to workload concerns, BCB's Jalal Yunus, the cricket operation chief, surprisingly stated that “Mustafizur has nothing to learn from IPL.”
The BCB recently announced a 17-member preliminary squad for a training camp in Chattogram, excluding both Shakib and Mustafizur.
Initially, chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain indicated Shakib's unavailability, leaving his participation in the Zimbabwe series uncertain.
“We will announce the team on 28th April,” Gazi Ashraf said. “That is when you will find out exactly how many matches Shakib will be available for.”
However, Shakib himself clarified the situation during a public interaction in the USA, where he currently resides.
“I will definitely play in the Zimbabwe series,” Shakib affirmed. He explained that the decision to miss the initial two or three matches was made after discussions with the coach and captain, with the coach suggesting that playing two matches would suffice.
Shakib dismissed the speculation surrounding his prioritization of the Dhaka League as “irrelevant.”
While Shakib remains a crucial member of the Bangladesh team across all formats, his regular participation in national team matches has been a subject of debate over the last few years. This latest decision further fuels the discussion surrounding the balance between club and country commitments for star players.
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