Amid uncertainty over his future, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was on Thursday handed an all-format contract as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 21-man list of centrally contracted cricketers for the 2022 season.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday rested Shakib from all forms of international cricket till April 30 to recover from mental and physical fatigue that has clouded his career with the national team. However, an all-format contract clears the air regarding his availability for future Bangladesh international matches.
The announcement was made hours before Shakib’s arrival from the UAE and the cricketer is expected to sit down with BCB president Nazmul Hasan to discuss his future.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the all-rounder had verbally assured him that he would be available for the national team in all formats after being given a break from the tour of South Africa. However, a BCB official said that the board will not pay a cricketer salary for the time frame he is unavailable, unless he is injured.
“If someone is not available to perform national duty other than an injury, he will not be paid for the time frame the team is playing,” he added.
Shakib is among only five cricketers, including Shorful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, who have been given contracts across formats. The board introduced a format-specific contracting system from last year.
Tamim Iqbal and Mehdi Hasan earned contracts in Tests and ODIs, while Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman and Afif Hossain earned contracts for ODIs and T20Is.
Players like Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan are the only two newcomers in the contract list as they have been included for the Tests. Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Zayed, Saif Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Shamim Hossain failed to make the cut while Taijul Islam has only been given a Test contract, although he was included in the ODIs last year.
Contracts for 2022:
All Formats: Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed and Shorful Islam
Tests and ODIs: Tamim Iqbal and Mehdi Hassan
test only: Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hussain Shanto, Shadman Islam, Ebadot Hussain, Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan Joy
ODI and T20: Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman and Afif Hussain
T20I only: Mohd Naeem, Mahedi Hassan, Noorul Hasan and Nasum Ahmed
New inclusions: Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan Joy
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos, IPL Auction 2022 And cricket score Here