BCB seek clarity from Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan over their respective future plans - Reports
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wants senior figures Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal to explain their future plans with the national team ahead of the inevitable transition phase.
All-rounder Shakib has already spoken about phasing out of his international career by pulling out of one format at a time. The skipper is currently out injured with a fracture and will miss the team's last 2023 ODI World Cup match against Australia, as well as the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand at home.
Tamim, on the other hand, has made himself unavailable for the red-ball series against the Blackcaps, citing a lack of preparation. The veteran opening batter was not a part of the 2023 ODI World Cup squad after apparently refusing to play in the middle order.
A BCB official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity:
"Shakib is unavailable [for the NZ series] due to injury. He has a plan and we need to be clear about it in terms of his leadership roles and what formats they [Shakib and Tamim] want to go ahead with."
Cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus told The Daily Star:
"Tamim informed us that he has not been training for the last one month. Since he has not worked out or done any preparations, he will not be available in the series. He will let us know about his next steps later."
Bangladesh have had a nightmare of a World Cup campaign in familiar conditions. They endured a six-game losing streak midway through the tournament and their wins so far have come against subcontinent rivals Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
The Bangla Tigers are currently placed eighth in the points table with four points to their name, and their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy remains in doubt.
BCB unhappy with Litton Das' lack of focus and commitment
Apart from the power struggle among the senior figures and injury woes, the BCB is also concerned over Litton Das' 'wavering concentration' both on and off the field.
Litton has already left the squad twice midway through the World Cup campaign for personal reasons. On the field, the player has managed to forge a start in the majority of the matches but has ended up throwing his wicket away.
A BCB official close to the development said:
"We aren't negative about Liton but for some reason he has lost a bit of focus on everything."
Despite the concerns, he is still a candidate along with Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to lead the Test team against New Zealand. BCB's chief selector Minhajul Abedin had stated earlier that the squad is likely to be announced around November 20.