Ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has finally responded to all the critics who called him out for preferring the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the Test series against Sri Lanka. Cricketers have called out over the year for putting IPL over international commitments and Shakib has hit back at them to rest his case.
Shakib, who recently returned to cricket after one year ban, would be plying his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021. He has decided to skip Bangladesh’s upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka to feature in the lucrative cash-rich league. However, Shakib Al Hasan’s decision has been blown out of proportion in the country with BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan stating that the all-rounder has no intention to play Test cricket anymore.
Akram Bhai’s statements are misleading – Shakib Al Hasan on playing IPL
But the veteran cricketer has denied all such claims stating that the BCB office-bearer is misleading the media with false claims. Explaining his move, Shakib Al Hasan said that he chose IPL over the Test series to prepare himself for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to take place later this year in India.
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“Continuously people are talking about this Test (skipping the series against Sri Lanka). The people who are saying that I will no longer play the Test or don’t want to play the Test haven’t read my letter properly and that is it,” Shakib was quoted as saying on Cricfrenzy.
“I did not mention anywhere in my letter that I do not want to play Tests. I mentioned in my letter that I want to play in the IPL to prepare myself properly for World Cup (T20 World Cup) but despite that Akram Bhai has repeatedly said that I do not want to play Tests,” he stated.
Shakib Al Hasan also stated that his decision to play in the IPL was based around the preparations for the T20 World Cup in India later in 2021. He mentioned that by playing the IPL, he can garner desired experience and help his teammates out.
“During the IPL season, I wanted time so that I can prepare myself better. The ground where I will play IPL now will be the ground where I will play the World Cup match after four months. The players with whom I will play the IPL will be the players against whom I will play in the World Cup,” Shakib added.