Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is set to be back on the filed for his country after serving a one year ban for failing to report a corrupt activity to the ICC anti-corruption unit. The all-rounder has been added in the 24-men preliminary squad to take on the West Indies in ODI series starting later this month. Shakib has returned from the United States and thanked the Windies for agreeing to come to Bangladesh for the series that will give him a ‘completely different comeback’ than previous ones he had.
Shakib recognised the challenges from the Windies squad, but not putting extra pressure on himself. He said that it will be disappointing if he does not click against the men in maroon on his home grounds while conceding that dominating right from the outset will be a difficult task after such a big break.
"I am happy that I am returning to international cricket and there is no pressure on me," said Shakib. "But it won't be easy for me and I will try to get back my old form. If we cannot do well against the West Indies, it will be disappointing,” Shakib said about his comeback.
Meanwhile, former skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has been dropped from the preliminary squad, in a major sign of the team looking to move on from a highly successful captain over the past few years. The selection decisions for the upcoming series against West Indies have been taken with the ICC WOlrd Cup 2023 in mind, and hence Mortaza has gone out of favour of the selectors.
''We have full respect for him (Mortaza) as he had given a lot for us. It was a difficult decision but we have to accept reality. 'We have taken this decision talking with the team management and everyone concerned. It's a big opportunity for the player who will replace him in the team. I have spoken with him(Mortaza) and there is no sort of misunderstanding between us. He said he wants to continue playing domestic cricket,'' BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin said.
The touring party of West Indies will arrive in Bangladesh on January 10 and will go through quarantine before playing their first warm-up game on January 18, followed by a three-match ODI series starting January 20 in Dhaka.
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