Veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has expressed his concerns over his availability for the all-format home series against Sri Lanka, which begins on March 4. The 36-year-old has been having trouble with blurred vision in his left eye due to stress since last year’s ODI World Cup.
In the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, Shakib Al Hasan is operating more as a spinner than an allrounder for the Rangpur Riders, with him not batting in two games. Sri Lanka is set to tour following the BPL for a full series of two Tests, three ODIs, and as many T20Is.
Shakib Al Hasan told media following Rangpur Riders’ 77-run win against Sylhet Strikers on Saturday that he is still undecided about his availability for the Sri Lanka series and that he will consult with officials before choosing whether to play against Sri Lanka.
The Veteran regrets not being able to give his all-round skills to the Riders, but believes that scoring runs consistently will help him feel more at ease.
“Time will tell, We are still playing the tournament. I will speak to the officials, and then take the decision (about playing Sri Lanka or not) I will take a decision in this regard (ODI captaincy) after talking with the board but we still have not discussed it,” Shakib Al Hasan said.
“The more I score runs, the more comfortable I will be. I can’t find the rhythm when there are no runs. I have never done this in my life (like) just playing with one side. It is the first time and I feel for Rangpur Riders. I am only able to fulfill half of their expectations.
“I realized that when the time is bad, everything goes bad. I am not thinking about anything else and now I am trying (to make a comeback) and let me finish my effort and later will think about it,” Shakib Al Hasan added.
The left-handed all-rounder’s last outing for Bangladesh was at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. He missed the home and away series against New Zealand owing to a separate finger injury, which he appears to have fully recovered from but the eye issue might keep him out of the side for a longer time.
I Don’t Know When This Eyes Will Improve – Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan stated that he does not know when his eyes will improve and that he is attempting to figure out what is wrong with his vision. The all-rounder recently met with physicians and traveled to England and Singapore to seek advice from top medical professionals.
“I don’t know when this (eyes) will improve. This thing that you are repeating about my eye, eye, eye, eye.
“There’s no problem in the eye. What you see wearing spectacles, I can see better than you. We are trying to find what has gone wrong, I went to Singapore to see what happened to my eyes and body and we are trying to find out where the problem is,” Shakib Al Hasan concluded.
The 36-year-old complained about eye problems and went to consult with ophthalmologists in Bangladesh and abroad. Multiple eye examinations revealed that the cricketer had a retinal problem in his left eye. He also mentioned that several doctors had informed him it could be a stress issue