IPL 2021: Bangladesh Cricket Board may reconsider Shakib Al Hasan’s NOC

Less than a day after Shakib Al Hasan’s accusations that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) misinterpreted his preference to play the Indian Premier League (IPL) over Sri Lanka Tests, the board hinted that it might reconsider the No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

After a meeting at BCB President Nazmul Hassan’s residence, Akram Khan, the BCB Cricket Operations Chairman, stated that discussions about Shakib’s NOC would be held soon.

In an interview on Friday, Shakib accused BCB (namely Akram Khan) of misrepresenting his decision to skip the Test series in Sri Lanka.

A report from ESPNCricinfo quoted Akram Khan responding to Shakib’s claims.

“I heard that he said that I didn’t read his letter. Perhaps I misunderstood his letter. He wants to play Tests, from what he has said. In the next couple of days, we will discuss about his NOC. If he has an interest, he will play Tests in Sri Lanka. We will decide about the rest after hearing the whole interview,” Akram Khan said.

Akram Khan, a former Bangladesh captain, confirmed that he read Shakib’s letter where it was stated that “he wants to play the IPL instead of the Test series in Sri Lanka.”

Shakib Al Hasan’s version on IPL NOC

Expressing his disappointment on Friday, Shakib clarified that he did not mention his desire to skip the Sri Lanka Test series but wanted to play in the IPL to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.

Shakib, who was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 3.2 crore in the IPL auction, stated:

“Those who keep saying that I don’t want to play Tests, I am sure they didn’t read my letter. I didn’t mention anywhere in my letter to the BCB that I don’t want to play Tests. I wrote that I want to play the IPL to prepare myself for the World Cup.

“Akram bhai especially has repeatedly said that I don’t want to play Tests. I think he said it again in an interview yesterday. I guess he never read the letter. People should have a clear idea that I wanted to play the IPL even if ODIs were scheduled during this time.”

Shakib further stated that playing in the IPL with and against the players he will face in the T20 World Cup will help him prepare for the tournament.

Naimur Rahman hits back at Shakib Al Hasan’s comments on high-performance programme

Naimur Rahman, the chairman of Bangladesh’s high-performance programme, expressed his disappointment over Shakib’s comments on the BCB’s player development process.

Targeting the high-performance programme, Shakib stated that it hasn’t produced enough quality cricketers in the past five years.

Naimur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first Test captain, hit back at Shakib’s comments, saying:

“In the last five years, a number of our Under-19 cricketers have come through the HP to play for the senior team. They recently beat Ireland Wolves. So this is a surprising comment. I don’t know if there’s anything behind it,” Rahman said as per ESPNCricinfo.

Rahman further pointed out Shakib’s contradiction in comments:

"He also spoke about respecting players, so did he respect the former cricketers in the board?" he added.