Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has termed his country’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup held in India earlier this year as a “big mistake” and expressed hope that cricketing ties between the two teams can improve if they play some series. Bangladesh did not tour India for the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after their fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. Scotland was subsequently included in the tournament in Bangladesh’s place.
‘A big loss for Bangladesh’
“I think it was a big loss. It was a big mistake for Bangladesh cricket because as a country we love to see our players play in the World Cup and participate in those matches. Our country loves cricket. It was a big mistake for a country like Bangladesh not to participate in the World Cup. It was a big mistake on the part of the government to decide not to participate in the tournament,” Shakib told reporters on Wednesday at the launch of the EUT20 Belgium jersey.
Shakib expressed hope that playing one or two series could remove the bitterness between the two countries. “Obviously, efforts will have to be made for this. I think if one or two series are played, the bitterness between the two countries will go away and the situation will improve. I heard that a series is being held in August or September”, Shakib added.
Shakib Al Hasan, the legend of Bangladesh cricket, has played 71 Tests, 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is for his national team, scoring 4,609, 7,570, and 2,551 runs respectively, besides picking 246, 317 and 149 wickets across the three formats.
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