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Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh stated on Monday that he
wants to give up franchise-based T20 cricket in order to devote more time to
his country’s national team.
Shakib stated that he instructed his manager to remove
his name from the Pakistan Super League players’ draft, where he is in the
platinum category, but he had not submitted his name for the Indian Premier
League auction.
“I did not give my name in IPL and so that a
window will be opened and when my manager gave my name in PSL I told him to
withdraw it. My plan is to give all this time to the national team because I
will sacrifice the franchise tournaments that I used to play,” Shakib, who
earlier skipped national commitments on several occasions, told reporters
during a private programme in the USA.
“I am playing in three formats and hope that I
can continue that but no one knows about the future and what is in store. But
till now I have the desire to play cricket for a long time,” he said.
Shakib will also miss the next white-ball tour of New
Zealand because he is currently recovering from a damaged finger that prevented
him from playing in the just finished two-match Test series against New Zealand
at home. Shakib stated that he hopes to return to playing cricket competitively
in the Bangladesh Premier League, which begins on January 19. Shakib will play
in the upcoming BPL season for the Rangpur Riders.
“I was hoping that I will be going to New Zealand
for the ODI and T20 series. As of now the team is departing for the tour and I
was planning in that way because I felt I will be okay by four weeks,”
said Shakib. “But I have consulted a doctor two days back and he asked me
to wait as I will need another two weeks and later start the rehabilitation.
“It is taking more time than expected as it will
need six weeks and the next option is that after doing the rehabilitation and
gaining fitness I don’t see any other way before BPL and there is election and
so I will be busy. So I will return to competitive cricket through the BPL and
can play from the start of BPL by getting full fitness,” he said.