Shakib Al Hasan will skip the forthcoming two-Test series versus Sri Lanka in April in order to make himself available for the entirety of the IPL 2021 season. Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operation chairman Akram Khan confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on Thursday (February 18) adding that the board has granted him the leave. The star all-rounder is expected to be available in the three-match ODI series that precedes the Test, subject to proving his fitness.
Shakib returned to the IPL after a one-year ban with Kolkata Knight Riders signing him for INR 3.2 crores at the auction. Shakib has previously played for the Knight Riders between 2011 and 2017, and was an integral member of their championship winning sides of 2012 and 2014.
"He (Shakib) had recently given us a letter [asking] to skip the Test series against Sri Lanka as he wanted to take part in the IPL," Akram told Cricbuzz. "We have given him the permission as there is no point pushing someone who is not interested to play (Test for national team)," he said.
This will be the second international assignment that the 33-year-old will miss having been granted paternity leave to skip the white-ball tour of New Zealand later in February-March.
Shakib returned to international action after his ban in the home series against West Indies before sustaining a thigh strain in the opening Test, which eventually ruled him out of the series. Prior to that, he'd made a brilliant comeback in the ODI leg and was adjudged man of the series.
BCB is looking to play the postponed tour of Sri Lanka in April after multiple efforts to conduct the series fell through in the pandemic-struck 2020.
This is not the first time Shakib is skipping a Test series. He had decided to take a six-month break from the format in September 2017 in order to manage his workload. He is also not the only cricketer to pick IPL over national duties with England likely to not recall its players playing in IPL Playoffs for the home series against New Zealand.-cricbuzz