Shakib Uncertain About India Tour, Focuses on Short-Term Plans

Bangladesh's veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has expressed uncertainty about his participation in the upcoming tour of India later this year. The tour, scheduled from September 19 to October 12, will feature two Tests and three T20Is.

Shakib's hesitation stems from his busy schedule, which includes the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup and the Major League Cricket (MLC) season two in the USA. He is set to play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the MLC, which begins on July 5.

"I don't have many plans. There are two T20 tournaments in front of me. One is MLC and the other one is the Global T20 League in Canada, and let me see where I stand after playing these two tournaments because I need to understand (how I feel)," Shakib said.

"There is international cricket and there is a series against Pakistan and I am planning till that point of time and not planning beyond that. Now I don't have time to plan for three-four years and so planning for three to six months is better, and later I will think about my next plan. For now, I am planning till the Pakistan series," he added.

Shakib also addressed the controversy surrounding fast-bowler Taskin Ahmed's absence from the Super Eights clash against India at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Taskin had initially claimed that he missed the team bus, but later clarified that he had arrived on time.

"Taskin apologized to the team for that afterwards and everyone in the team took it normally because a man can mistake and anyone can commit unintentional mistake. He accepted it and the thing ended at that point of time," Shakib said.

Bangladesh's tour of India will be their first since 2019. The two teams last met in a T20I series in November 2022, which India won 2-1.

Tags: #ShakibAlHasan, #BangladeshCricket, #IndiaTour, #MLC, #T20WorldCup