The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Notably, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das have been excluded from the squad. Shakib is currently banned from bowling, as he failed to clear his bowling action in a second test, leading to his omission.
Former national cricket star Mohammad Rafique expressed his disappointment over Shakib’s exclusion. On Sunday (January 12), Rafique addressed the media following Rangpur’s team practice session in Sylhet.
Speaking about Shakib’s bowling ban, Rafique stated, “Look at how many years Shakib has played for Bangladesh. At one time, he was the number one player in the world. Now, they are calling it ‘chucking’… What has the ICC been doing all these years? Why is this issue being raised now? This is nothing significant. If we work on it or if experts are brought in, this can be resolved within a couple of days.”
Rafique expressed his hope that politics would not interfere with sports, adding, “How you perceive this situation is important. If you think Shakib is necessary for the team, then of course, he is needed. A player like Shakib might not emerge even in a decade. The political issues that have created this problem should be resolved politically, but this should not affect cricket. I believe this is very bad for the future of Bangladesh cricket.”
Highlighting the void created by Shakib’s absence, Rafique remarked, “How can we forget so quickly? How many World Cups has Shakib played? How many other players from this country have played that many? Why is there a problem with Shakib now? Today, Shakib is not in the team, but the disappointment will remain.”
