Shakib Al Hasan to play for Khulna in Bangabandhu T20 Cup

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh all-rounder, is set to ply his trade in the inaugural Bangabandhu T20 Cup, reportedly starting in the third week of November. The 33-year-old’s suspension period ended last month and he would be playing for Khulna in the upcoming T20 tournament. It will also mark his return to competitive cricket after he last played in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Khulna bagged Shakib as their Category A player after getting the second call in Round one. The team also roped in all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad, top-order batsman Imrul Kayes and young fast bowler Hasan Mahmud during the draft. Mahmudullah’s participation is under the clouds though after he was tested positive for COVID-19 before taking part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Shakib Al Hasan clears the fitness test
As far as Shakib was concerned, there were doubts over his fitness since he was out of the sport for quite a while. He was staying in the USA along with his wife and their children. However, the Khulna-born passed the fitness test and was deemed fit for the upcoming tournament.

”He passed the fitness test and now is eligible to take part in the tournament,” Minhajul Abedin, the BCB chief selector, was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz on Wednesday, November 11. Passing the fitness test was made mandatory for all the cricketers as an eligibility criterion.

Shakib performed well in the beep test after which he spent quite some time in the gym along with BCB’s strength and conditioning coach Nick Lee. Earlier, he also trained at the BKSP for the Sri Lanka tour, which had to be cancelled amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bangabandhu T20 Cup comprises of five teams, namely Khulna, Chattogram, Barisal, Rajshahi and Dhaka. There are 157 players in the draft out of which five belong in Grade A. Grade B, C and D have 20, 25 and 107 players respectively.