Shakib Al Hasan vows to prioritise national duty over franchise cricket

Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has decided to prioritize national duty over franchise-based T20 cricket. Recently, he had opted out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction and had requested the withdrawal of his name from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) players' draft despite being a platinum category player. Shakib will be aiming to dedicate more time to representing his country.

However, this decision comes in the wake of previous events that have unfolded. In 2017, despite being at his fittest best and holding the prestigious title of the world's No.1 all-rounder, Shakib had opted out of a crucial series against South Africa and requested six-month break from Test cricket. This move had stirred debate given the significance of the series for Bangladesh cricket.

"I did not give my name in IPL and so that a window will be opened and when my manager gave my name in PSL I told him to withdraw it. My plan is to give all this time to the national team because I will sacrifice the franchise tournaments that I used to play," Shakib told reporters in the USA.

"I am playing in three formats and hope that I can continue that but no one knows about the future and what is in store. But till now I have the desire to play cricket for a long time," he added.

Shakib to make comeback via BPL

Presently, the 36-year-old has been sidelined due to a finger injury, which has forced him to miss both the Test series and white-ball tour against New Zealand. However, he will be eyeing a comeback through participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), set to commence on January 19. the southpaw will represent the Rangpur Riders in the upcoming edition of the BPL.

"It is taking more time than expected as it will need six weeks and the next option is that after doing the rehabilitation and gaining fitness I don't see any other way before BPL and there is election and so I will be busy. So I will return to competitive cricket through the BPL and can play from the start of BPL by getting full fitness," he said.