Shakib Al Hasan undecided on India tour participation

Shakib Al Hasan undecided on India tour participation 

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is unsure if he'll be part of the upcoming tour of India. Bangladesh are scheduled to play two Tests and three T20Is against India from September 19 to October 12 following their tour of Pakistan in August, where they are slated to play a two-match Test series.

The 37-year-old Shakib Al Hasan, who left Dhaka for USA on Monday (July 1) to play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the upcoming Major League Cricket, said that he was not thinking too far ahead and until now has planned only up to the tour of Pakistan.

"I don't have many plans. There are two T20 tournaments in front of me one is MLC and the other one is the Global T20 League in Canada and let me see where I stand after playing these two tournaments because I really want to understand [how I feel]," Shakib Al Hasan told reporters at the Airport on Tuesday before departing for the USA.

"There is international cricket and there is a series against Pakistan and I am planning till that point of time and not planning beyond that. Presently I don't have time to plan for three four years and so planning for three to six months is better and later will think about my next plan and so till now I am planning till the Pakistan series," he added.

Shakib Al Hasan also revealed that pace bowler Taskin Ahmed had apologized to his teammates for missing the game against India. livecricketbd reported that Taskin had missed the team bus and reached late at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the teams' Super-8 clash of the just-concluded T20 World Cup.

"The team bus starts at a certain point and there is a standard for cricketers that team bus does not stop for anyone and if anyone misses it in that case he comes in the next car. The manager's car or a taxi is there and the support of transport was difficult in the West Indies. When Taskin arrived it was five to 10 minutes before the toss and certainly it was difficult to pick him at that point in the team and it was difficult for him as well," Shakib Al Hasan said.

"Taskin apologized to the team for that afterwards and everyone in the team took it normally because a man can mistake and anyone can commit unintentional mistake and he accepted it and the thing finished at that point of time," he said.

Nazmul not happy with Bangladesh approach against Afghanistan

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan was critical of the team's approach in the Super 8 game against Afghanistan for their failure to try and force qualification to the semifinals.

Bangladesh were required to score 115 in 12.1 over to advance to the last-four on better Net Run-Rate but the opportunity went in vain as well as they reassessed chasing qualification and eventually lost the game to Afghanistan to help them secure their spot in a World Cup semi-final for the first time in their cricketing history.

"I think we should have tried till the 12 over but what I have seen is that we protected when we were expected to hit while we hit when we were expected to shield and so what can I say," Nazmul told reporters following a meeting to review the team's World Cup performance.

"We are happy that we have reached the Super-8, but it is not acceptable that they did not try after losing three wickets [against Afghanistan].

"I heard that the captain said that we didn't try after three wickets went down and I think that's not acceptable. I have to find out the reason and might have answered you all the more appropriately if I have received the report of the head coach and manager and talked with the skipper but I am yet to receive the letter as well as talk with the captain," he added.

However, Nazmul backed his across-format leader Najmul Hossain Shanto, who came under a magnifying glass for his performance in the event. The BCB chief also said he was impressed with the performance of the some of the more youthful players but was left disappointed with the overall performance of the seniors.

"I think we appointed Najmul as captain on the basis of his performance because he did not drop from the sky but presently if he cannot play what can I say," Nazmul said. "I was feeling that the youngsters would struggle and the seniors would get along nicely but see the juniors played well but that was not the case with seniors," he added.

Nazmul added that the board was looking to give a fitting farewell to the senior campaigners Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah in 'a legitimate manner' as they were nearing the finish of their careers.

While Tamim and Mushfiqur have already retired from T20Is it is not the case with Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah and many feel that the time is right to begin plans for the next T20 World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

"We have full confidence in them [seniors] but there will be a time when they end their excursion and I want that both parties should sit together and make sure that it ends well considering they have given so much to Bangladesh cricket," he concluded.