Shakib’s fitness puts BCB in ‘awkward’ position

DHAKA: The confusion around all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s fitness has put Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in an “awkward and embarrassing” position ahead of the Asia Cup.

BCB director Jalal Yunus on Thursday said that Shakib should have informed the board rather than the media that he feels he is “20-30% fit” for the tournament that begins on September 15 in the UAE.

Shakib injured the little finger on his left hand in January, which forced him out of the home Tests and T20Is against Sri Lanka and the Pakistan Super League.

He was supposed to undergo a finger surgery on return from the West Indies tour in the first week of August, and was named in the 16-man Asia Cup squad. It is understood that BCB president Nazmul Hassan suggested shakib could have surgery after the tournament, and skip the Zimbabwe series in October.

However, Shakib contradicted himself in two recent interviews about his fitness, saying that top players can’t play with such low levels of fitness.

“The board is put in an awkward and embarrassing situation,” Yunus said. “He didn’t tell us when the selection was being finalised, or at any other time. It would have been better if he had told us that he was 20-30% fit earlier. He didn’t say that he can’t play.”

In a press conference earlier on Thursday, Bangladesh’s ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza and coach Steve Rhodes said that even a half-fit Shakib would be good enough to play the Asia Cup.

“I don’t believe he is 20-30% fit. I think he is a lot fitter than that,” Rhodes said.

“Asia Cup is very important to Bangladesh. Even if Shakib was 60-70% fit, you’d get a lot of cricket out of Shakib Al Hasan.”