DHAKA: Bangladesh retained all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Sunday in the squad for this month’s Test series against Pakistan, despite the former ruling party lawmaker facing backlash after the country’s premier was toppled.
Shakib, 37, lost his status as a lawmaker after parliament was dissolved following the dramatic ouster of long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina after weeks of deadly mass protests.
“The emphasis was on picking our best players,” chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said in a statement.
The all-rounder, who was elected as a lawmaker from Hasina’s Awami League in a controversial general election on January 7, is currently in Canada to play in a Twenty20 competition.
Since Hasina fled to India on August 5, her party offices have been looted and torched, and many members of her Awami League have gone into hiding fearing violence.
Shakib is expected to join the Bangladesh squad in Pakistan, where they will play two Test matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi between August 21 and September 3.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the squad, after missing Bangladesh’s previous Test series against Sri Lanka at home in March and April.
Selectors also included pacer Taskin Ahmed.
“This is a well balanced squad,” Hossain said in a statement.
“The likes of Mushfiqur, Mominul (Haque), and Shakib have played 216 matches combined, and there is no substitute for that kind of experience.”
Hossain said Taskin would be considered only for the second Test as he hasn’t bowled in a Test since June last year.
“Pakistan are very tough opponents, especially in their home front and it will be a challenging tour for us,” added Hossain.
The team will leave Dhaka on Monday for the series, which is also part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed
Bangladesh retain ex-lawmaker Shakib for Pakistan Tests
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Bangladesh retain ex-lawmaker Shakib for Pakistan Tests
- Shakib Al Hasan, 37, lost his status as a lawmaker after parliament was dissolved following the ouster of long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina
- He was elected from Hasina’s Awami League in a controversial election on Jan. 7 and is currently in Canada to play a T20 competition
Sabalenka says ‘Battle of the Sexes’ pays off after ruthless win
- Aryna Sabalenka said her much-maligned exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios had paid dividends as she demolished Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday to launch her Australian Open preparations
BRISBANE: Aryna Sabalenka said her much-maligned exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios had paid dividends as she demolished Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday to launch her Australian Open preparations.
The world number one took just 48 minutes to dispose of the Spaniard 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the season-opening Brisbane International.
The ease of the win against the world number 50 will send a warning to the Belarusian’s rivals ahead of the Australian Open starting January 18.
She raced through the first set in just 22 minutes and took only 26 minutes to claim the second against an opponent who had no answer to the power of the 27-year-old.
Sabalenka said the fact that she played so well in her first match of the season showed that the December 28 exhibition in Dubai against the mercurial but controversial Kyrgios was worthwhile.
“I mean, when you play against a guy, the intensity is completely different,” she said.
“Especially when there is Nick, who is drop-shotting every other shot, so you move a lot, so there was a great fitness for me.
“And today I was, like, whew, let’s move around, you know.
“That exhibition, it was fun. It was a great challenge,” she added.
“I think we brought so many eyes on tennis. It wasn’t about proving something to anyone, it was able to show that tennis can be really huge.”
Sabalenka will now play either Jelena Ostapenko or Sorana Cirstea in the third round and remains on track to meet Madison Keys in the quarter-finals in a rematch of last year’s Australian Open final, won by the American.
Keys reached the Brisbane third round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over fellow American McCartney Kessler.
Like Sabalenka, Keys had a bye into the second round and said she had found it tough to find her rhythm early on.
“I think it’s sometimes a little bit harder when the person you’re playing has already played a match, and then you’re kind of trying to still knock off a bit of the rust,” she said.
“I felt like it took a little bit just to find my rhythm, but I feel like once I did it, I kind of settled in a little bit better.”
There were two major upsets in the men’s draw with second-seeded Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Canada’s fifth seed, Denis Shapovalov both losing.
American Brandon Nakashima downed Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 while Belgian qualifier Raphael Collignon beat Shapovalov 6-4, 6-2.
