Just days after playing a starring role in Bangladesh’s historic Test win over Australia, Shakib Al Hasan dropped by huge bombshell by requesting a six-month sabbatical from the longest format of the game. With a tough away series against South Africa coming up, Shakib’s decision will be a significant setback for Bangladesh.
But while there is no denying that Bangladesh will feel Shakib’s absence, it will benefit not only the player but also the team in the long run as the ace all-rounder made it clear that he took the big decision to prolong his career.
“I think I still have a long playing career left in me,” Shakib told reporters at Dhaka. “If I want to play for that long and play well, then this rest is required.”
“I can play if I want but the question is what you want whether I play for one or two years or for five to six years. I feel that if I play in this manner I cannot survive after one or two years,” Shakib noted.
The number one Test allrounder further said he decided to take the sabbatical to return vigorously and play for the next five years without any issue.
“It is better to stop playing than to play in this manner because I want to perform till the last day of my career. So this break is required because I can come back strongly mentally and can play without tension for the next five years,” he said.
“I was thinking about it for quite some time and told my family and close ones regarding it. At the end of the day I am the one who knows best about the condition of my body,” he added.
Shakib also said that he did not find it tough to convince the Bangladesh Cricket Board to accept his request.
“For me, a one-month break is a long time and once I conveyed my idea, it did not take long for the board to accept it and I am thankful to them for it. I think there was nothing unethical about it and so they accepted it,” he said.
Shakib said that he would decide on the next course of action after the series in South Africa and the Bangladesh Premier League.
“I will decide once I complete the South Africa series and the BPL,” said Sakib. “I will see where I stand afterwards, talk with the board (about what) they feel.. that I should play (when) I feel that I can give my hundred percent, I will definitely play.”
“If you take a break from Test series, you get a month off. If you take a break from a T20 series, you get three days break and for an ODI series it’s only seven days. I needed a bigger break, so I opted for the Test format,” he added.