BCB grants Shakib a break from cricket until 30 April
The chairman of BCB's cricket operations department, Jalal Yunus, confirmed the news on Wednesday while talking to the media.
Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been granted a break from all formats of the game till 30 April by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Therefore, he will miss the upcoming South Africa tour and also the Dhaka Premier League (DPL).
The chairman of BCB's cricket operations department, Jalal Yunus, confirmed the news on Wednesday while talking to the media.
This decision from BCB comes after a meeting that took place today in BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon's workplace.
"He called me and said 'I am not mentally and physically fit to play' and wanted to skip the South Africa series and we have decided to give him rest till April 30th," Jalal said during a press conference on Wednesday.
"We want Shakib to play in all formats. But he wanted a break from the South Africa series. We didn't want to force him. He kept saying he is not enjoying cricket right now," he added.
"He is an important player for us. He wanted a complete rest from cricket. Thus the decision has been taken."
Jalal Yunus further informed that the board will have a discussion with Shakib after he returns home from UAE on Thursday. BCB will want to know his future plans in detail there.
Shakib said he 'felt like a passenger' in the recently concluded Afghanistan series and mentioned he needs a break from cricket citing his physical and mental fatigue and stress.
"I am disappointed with the way I played the Afghanistan series. I'm not mentally and physically prepared to play international cricket at the moment. I felt like a passenger in the Afghanistan series," Shakib said on Sunday.
"I don't think I should play the SA series with this kind of mentality. If my mental and physical condition stay like this and I still play the series, it will hurt the entire team," he added.
Earlier, Shakib wanted to skip the Tests in South Africa had he been picked by any IPL franchise. But he remained unsold in the mega auction.
He was originally named in both squads for the South Africa tour last week after BCB president Nazmul Hassan claimed that the allrounder had agreed to go for the Tests too.
Bangladesh team will fly to South Africa on 11 March. They will play three ODIs and two Tests in the tour. The ODI series will begin on 18 March.