IPL 2021: “I want to prepare myself for the T20 World Cup” – Shakib Al Hasan reveals why he chose IPL over playing tests for Bangladesh

IPL 2021: “I want to prepare myself for the T20 World Cup” – Shakib Al Hasan reveals why he chose IPL over playing tests for Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has clarified his statements on why he chose to skip the two-match test series against Sri Lanka to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. Shakib was bought by the KKR franchise at the auction this year for a sum of Rs. 3.2 crores and although the Bangladeshi had the option of skipping few matches in the tournament to play for Bangladesh, he decided not to do so.

Shakib’s decision came under criticism by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for not prioritizing the national team over T20 franchise tournaments. Cricket Operation Chairman of the BCB, Akram Khan had however, stated that despite the disappointment, the board would not force him to play for the national team.

Shakib Al Hasan reacts to BCB’s criticism

Shakib Al Hasan Mustafizur Rahman
Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, the two Bangladesh players in the IPL

Shakib Al Hasan spoke to Cricfrenzy to clarify his statements and said, “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. 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.”

“I believe the cricketer’s confidence increases if the board or BCB president backs up a player like this. And when a player represents the national team, the responsibility to do something good for the team also increases. Even if there were an ODI series at this time, I would have done the same,” he added.

“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. For this reason, I will get more advantages than anyone else from Bangladesh, and it will also help me to share my experiences with the team that I will gain by playing in the IPL,” he further said.

Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the 11th of April.

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