'The board got what they wanted': Shakib on missing IPL during Ireland Test
Shakib and Litton, the Kolkata Knight Riders duo, will be available for selection after the Test match ends and will have to return to national duty by 2 May later for an ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford. Mustafizur Rahman, being a white-ball-only player, got an early clearance but won't be available for full season like Shakib and Litton.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das in the 14-man squad for the one-off Test against Ireland although they applied for No Objection Certificates (NOC) to be available for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The announcement came a day after the BCB president Nazmul Hassan implied that there would be no change in their stance regarding the players' IPL clearance.
Shakib and Litton, the Kolkata Knight Riders duo, will be available for selection after the Test match ends and will have to return to national duty by 2 May later for an ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford. Mustafizur Rahman, being a white-ball-only player, got an early clearance but won't be available for full season like Shakib and Litton.
Shakib spoke about the IPL non-clearance for the first time on Saturday, hours after the squad announcement.
"The board informed the BCCI of the timespan of our availability. They said at that time that they wouldn't allow us to play the IPL when there are international games. So we got the NOC just the way the board wanted," he said.
"If Mustafizur [Rahman] was part of the Test team, he had to stay back. Fortunately or unfortunately, he is not part of the team and could leave early," Shakib added.