Shakib Al Hasan Criticizes BCB's Neglect, Talks About His Champions Trophy Absence

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's biggest cricket star, has expressed his frustration with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for its lack of proper communication and support. Since making his debut in 2006, Shakib has been a key player for the national team, often being their best performer in almost every major tournament. However, this is the first time Bangladesh has participated in a global event without Shakib, as he was excluded from the Champions Trophy squad.

Shakib recently pointed out that the BCB had failed to properly communicate with him regarding his bowling action and participation in the Champions Trophy. Despite his significant contributions to Bangladesh cricket over the years, the board chose to ignore him for the tournament. He mentioned that the BCB didn’t take any positive steps to address his bowling action concerns and did not approach him for any discussions.

Before the Champions Trophy squad was announced, the BCB had received no positive reports regarding Shakib’s bowling action, which had been deemed illegal. As a result, selectors decided not to include him in the team, opting only to consider him as a batter. However, Shakib believes that he was sidelined due to political reasons before the bowling action issue even came up. He had wanted to play his farewell Test match in the country, but was unable to due to the lack of government approval.

After the 2023 World Cup, Shakib had not played any more ODIs, and with his bowling action being found faulty, he was confident that, with the opportunity to work with coach Mohammad Salahuddin, he would be able to pass the required tests and make a comeback. He had hoped for inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad, but that didn’t materialize.

Shakib feels that the BCB could have handled the entire situation better. In an interview with Cricbuzz, he said, “Look, I have no complaints, but if the communication had been better, I would have been happier.” He admitted that if the board had communicated more effectively with him, the situation could have been resolved more smoothly.

Now, Shakib says he is not dwelling on the past and is ready to accept whatever happens in the future. He did, however, acknowledge that better communication with the board would have made things easier. He even emphasized that if he had failed the test after working with coach Salahuddin, he would have accepted being dropped from the squad.

Despite his efforts, the BCB did not respond to his requests, showing no interest in bringing him back for the tournament. Neither the national selection panel nor the BCB's Chairman of Cricket Operations, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, reached out to Shakib about his potential return. As a result, Shakib was left with no choice but to work closely with Gareth Batty, the head coach of County team Surrey and a former English spinner, in order to pass the necessary test.