Shakib Al Hasan to hold talks with BCB over his Test cricket plans in 2022

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is reportedly set to discuss his plans in Test cricket for the ongoing year with the BCB. The former captain had earlier admitted to the struggle of keeping up with all formats and franchise cricket at his age.

The 34-year-old has made himself unavailable for the Tests against South Africa, but is expected to play the ODI series. He was not part of the squad that toured New Zealand for a two-match Test series at the start of the year.

Shakib had initially written to the BCB to not consider him for selection in Test cricket for six months.

BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Jalal Yunus has noted that the situation has changed, as the all-rounder went to the IPL mega auction. The left-arm spinner found no bidders, though, despite his name being brought up on both days of the event. The hesitance of teams stemmed from the player's availability.

In this regard, Yunus said:

"Shakib had given a letter saying that he won't be available to play Tests for six months. The scenario has changed since he won't be playing in the IPL. He said that he will sit with the board president after the ongoing ODI series [against Afghanistan] to discuss the matter,"

Yunus refuted claims suggesting Shakib wanted to move away from the longest format, adding:

"He won't just talk about the South Africa series (the Test leg of which starts on March 30). Basically we will ask him for his plan for this year. There have been media reports that he doesn't want to play Tests, but we know that he wants to play Tests."

Bangladesh will tour South Africa to play three ODIs and two Tests. The Test series, to be contested under the World Test Championship cycle, will begin on March 31.

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"Nobody is bound to play every match" - BCB open to listen to Shakib Al Hasan's proposition

The bio-bubble structure and regimen introduced in the post-COVID-19 era have been huge factors in Shakib Al Hasan's hesitance to play Tests.

The all-rounder earlier defended his decision to skip the tour of New Zealand. The BCB have stated that they will not force the veteran to play against his will. Cricket Operations Chairman Yunus said in this regard:

"It is not a matter of pick and choose. He might have some problems, so we will consider him if he tells us that he wants to play a certain number of matches in a format. Nobody is bound to play every match. The BCB is not an organisation where we consider players as mere employees. They are also stakeholders. They have the freedom to discuss how many matches they want to play."

Bangladesh are slated to play Test matches against South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and India in 2022. The team are currently ranked seventh in the World Test Championship rankings, with one win and three losses.