Bangladesh Cricket Board revokes ban on Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) revoked the 6-month ban that it had imposed last month on Shakib Al Hasan for his ‘misdemeanor’, and the 27-year-old will, therefore, be eligible for national selection from September 15. However, the board continues to stay firm on its stance that the player wouldn’t be allowed to participate in overseas leagues till the end of next year.
The 27-year-old’s suspension followed after he got into trouble one too many times in a short span; his spat with the recently appointed head coach Chandika Hathurusingha regarding his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) commitments and his involvement in a brawl, on July 15, with a certain set of fans who allegedly harassed his wife during an One Day International match against India acted as catalysts.
Board satisfied with Shakib
“We’ve seen some positive things in Shakib’s attitude since the ban was imposed,” Nazmul Hassan was quoted as saying by Wisden India. “We’re also satisfied at his letter that he gave to us (appealing for a review). We believe he has realised his mistakes.
“We’ve decided to lift his ban from September 15. He will now be available for selection for the Asian Games, the Zimbabwe series (at home) and the domestic league,” he added.
Shakib's suspension reduced by BCB, he's available for Bangladesh from Sept 15. Still won't get NOCs to play abroad till end of 2015 though.
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 26, 2014
Bangladesh clearly missed the services of the all-rounder in the just concluded 3-match ODI series against West Indies at home, where they were whitewashed 3-0. The all-rounder, though, will continue to sit out for the T20 international and two Test matches that follow against the Caribbean side and will only be available in time for the home series against Zimbabwe.
Shakib is one of world’s leading all-rounders and is the finest player to have come out of the cricket-crazy nation, thus far, which continues to struggle for establishing itself in the highly competitive international arena, despite being given a Test status and continued exposure against quality sides.