Shakib Al Hasan may be away playing in the Global Super League, but the door to the national team remains wide open for him, says BCB’s Head of Media, Iftekhar Rahman.
While the Bangladesh national team is currently in Sri Lanka, Shakib is busy with bat and ball in Guyana. A year ago, such a scenario would have been unthinkable—but since last October, this has become reality. Despite the distance, Iftekhar Rahman assured that the experienced all-rounder is always welcome in the national setup.
Shakib hasn’t returned to Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last year. Still, he featured in the Test series during Bangladesh’s India tour in September-October, before stepping away from the national team once again.
He was set to return for the home Test series against South Africa in October, but due to security concerns, he turned back from Dubai and settled temporarily in the United States.
At that time, Shakib was also suspended for his bowling action, which kept him away from the game for several months. He made his return in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and is now participating in the Global Super League (GSL).
In the GSL opener for Dubai Capitals, the 38-year-old showed glimpses of his prime form, scoring 58 off 37 balls and taking 4 wickets for 13 runs. However, he struggled in both departments in the following match.
With the national team underperforming in Sri Lanka, questions have started to emerge about recalling Shakib. In his first press conference as BCB President, Aminul Islam Bulbul said Shakib could be considered based on performance.
Speaking to the media at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday, Iftekhar Rahman echoed similar sentiments: the door remains open.
“Of course, we all know that Shakib Al Hasan is the greatest cricketer in Bangladesh’s history. There’s no second opinion about that. So the door is always open.”
However, Iftekhar made it clear that the decision rests with the selectors and team management.
“Now it’s up to the selectors and the team management—what they’re thinking. We don’t know how things worked before, but what the current president has done is hand over full responsibility to cricket operations, team management, and the selectors. They’re aware of the situation. They’ll look into it. And they certainly should.”
