Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh all-rounder, has denied threatening to retire from Tests and one dayers. He did, though, apologise to Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha for a misunderstanding concerning his stint in the Caribbean Premier League, a T20 tournament.
Bangladesh Cricket Board chairman Akram Khan had consented to Shakib leaving for Barbados to participate in the CPL on July 2, according to the player.
Shakib attributed the confusion about him making a threat to quit to a statement made by the coach. "I did not make this comment, it was the coach's comment," Shakib said to journalists at the airport in Dhaka.
He implied the whole matter had been blown out of proportion. "Why should I say something like this? If I get angry and tell my father that I don't want to eat, will it come out in the news?" he said according to ESPNCricinfo.
Further refuting the stories, Shakib insisted he has plans on playing for Bangladesh for a long time. "I want to play for Bangladesh at least till the 2023 World Cup," he added.
Afterwards during another press briefing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium he said he apologised to Hathurusingha for their tiff. The all-rounder had hoped to stay in the West Indies till the conclusion of the CPL and then join the Bangladesh squad in the West Indies before the first one day international on 20 August.
Hathurusingha wanted Shakib to play till 30 July, and then come back to Dhaka and join the squad. Bangladesh are slated to tour the West Indies in August.
"I was angry and I said a few things that I shouldn't have, but I said sorry and he accepted that as well," Shakib said. Because I was on a flight for ten hours I couldn't talk to him and that's why he probably complained in a letter.
"I didn't have time to talk to him. I tried to reason with him and explain that should I come back for just ten days? He told me that 'look this is a team game' and asked me to stay in the camp. He showed his logic and I showed mine. At the end of the day it went his way."
Prior to leaving for Barbados Shakib said he had conferred with Akram Khan after speaking to two BCB members last week. In December a No-Objection Certificate for the MCC versus Rest of the World match had come his way. The same certificate would hold good for the CPL, the report said.
"I have always obtained the NOC before going to all these leagues.Tamim (Iqbal) and I took NOC for the ROW-MCC game. I thought it was the same NOC for CPL, but Sabbir bhai (cricket operations manager of Bangladesh Sabbir Khan) told me it wasn't the CPL's NOC," said the all-rounder.
"The day before I left, I asked Sabbir bhai what to do. He told me to call (acting CEO of Banglasesh Cricket Board, Nizamuddin Chowdhury) Sujon bhai. But he was in Malaysia from where he told to speak to Akram bhai, who said he was in Chittagong so he won't be able to sign the NOC. He said, Leave the NOC with Sabbir, I will sign it. Go to CPL, play well. This is what happened."
