Bangladesh Cricket Board Play Shakib-al-Hasan Card to Divert National Embarrassment After ICC T20 World Cup Boycott?

ICC T20 World Cup: What Bangladesh Cricket Board did last week was shocking to say the least. They boycotted the upcoming T20 World Cup, in a call that seemed politically charged. Bangladesh, which is a cricket-crazy country realise that the call of boycotting has backfired and citizens of their country are not impressed by it. In a bid to do some damage-control, BCB has come up with a stunt. 

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BCB Plays Shakib Card

Just a day after the BCB made their decision public and faced backlash over it, they played the Shakib-al-Hasan card. There is little or no doubt that Shakib is easily one of the finest players to have represented Bangladesh and is a popular figure as well. After nearly a year and a half, Shakib was back in BCB's conversation. A player who was not allowed to enter his own country could now participate in the national team is a call that was taken a day after the T20 WC boycott. The timing is questionable without doubt. 

It is clear that the BCB was looking to divert attention from the national embarrassment that the boycott had caused. 

In an earlier interview, Shakib had famously said, “This is why I say, keep me in your cricket. Otherwise, your life will become boring. The media needs Shakib.” 

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BCB Director's Stunning U-Turn Suspicious

What was even more stunning was BCB director Asif Akbar's stance. 

Not long back, Akbar was the person who said on record that Shakib would have to apologise if he wanted to get considered. 

He had also said that Shakib does not have any chance of representing the country in the current set-up. 

The cricketer has been outside the country during the student–mass uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August 2024.