Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed revealed that Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the national ODI side is not related to the cricket board. Shakib has announced his retirement from Test and T20Is and had hoped to play his final Test on home soil. However, security concerns failed those plans by the legendary cricketer.
The cricketer said that he wants to play One Day International (ODI) till the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. However, he was unable to participate in the recent ODI series last month against Afghanistan and now he will most likely to miss the upcoming ODI series against West Indies which will be the last One Day series for Bangladesh before the Champions Trophy 2025.
Shakib was allegedly linked to a murder case during the political unrest that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The cricketer is yet to receive a green signal from the respective authorities to play for the national team.
"As for Shakib Al Hasan, I cannot provide a definitive answer. I want him to play, but his absence is not related to the cricket board. The reasons preventing his participation involve law enforcement and the court. It's not easy for me to address this.
"If the issue is resolved, I still believe Shakib has the ability to play for the national team," Faruque told reporters during the mascot launching programme of the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League at a city hotel quoted Cricinfo. .
"However, playing in franchise leagues abroad and playing for the national team are not the same. The national team requires a certain combination, and Shakib doesn't seem to be in the mental state to contribute at that level right now. We've left this decision to him," he said.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against West Indies scheduled to start from December 8. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are yet to announce their squad for their last ODI series before Champions Trophy 2025.
