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[Saba Sports News] Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is unsure if he’ll join the upcoming India tour. Bangladesh is set to play two Tests and three T20Is against India from September 19 to October 12, following a two-match Test series in Pakistan in August.
Shakib, 37, left Dhaka for the USA on Monday (July 1) to play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. He said he was not planning beyond the Pakistan tour. “I have two T20 tournaments ahead, MLC and the Global T20 League in Canada. I’ll reassess after these to understand how I feel,” Shakib told reporters at the airport on Tuesday.
“There’s international cricket and a series against Pakistan. I’m planning only up to that point. I don’t have the time to plan for years, so three to six months is better. After the Pakistan series, I’ll think about my next steps,” he added.
Shakib also mentioned that pace bowler Taskin Ahmed had apologized to his teammates for missing the game against India. Taskin missed the team bus and arrived late at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the Super-8 clash in the recent T20 World Cup.
“The team bus leaves at a set time, and if someone misses it, they take another car. In the West Indies, transport was difficult. Taskin arrived five to 10 minutes before the toss, making it tough to include him. He apologized, and the team accepted it as a mistake anyone could make,” Shakib explained.
In other news, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan criticized the team’s approach in the Super 8 game against Afghanistan, where they failed to secure a semifinal spot. Bangladesh needed to score 115 in 12.1 overs to advance but fell short, ultimately losing the game.
Nazmul expressed disappointment at the team’s lack of effort after losing three wickets. “We should have tried till the 12th over. We defended when we should have attacked and attacked when we should have defended. This approach is unacceptable,” he said.
Despite the setback, Nazmul backed captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and praised the younger players’ performance, though he was disappointed with the seniors. He also mentioned plans to give a fitting farewell to senior players Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib, and Mahmudullah as they near the end of their careers.
“We have confidence in them, but there will come a time for their journey to end. We want to ensure it ends well, given their contributions to Bangladesh cricket,” Nazmul concluded.