Shakib requests six-month break from Tests

Shakib Al-Hasan has requested a break from Test cricket, possibly ruling him out of Bangladesh's tours to South Africa and the West Indies.

Published : Sep 11, 2017 09:36 IST

Bangladesh star Shakib Al-Hasan has requested a six-month break from Test cricket.

Shakib played a starring role in his country's recent 1-1 draw with Australia , taking 10 wickets and scoring 89 runs as the Tigers secured a historic win over Steve Smith's side in Dhaka .

The victory was Bangladesh's first in the longest format against Australia.

Shakib is the top-ranked all-rounder in all formats of cricket and has become a star in the Tigers' continued emergence as a credible force, though his success has also drawn attention from lucrative Twenty20 leagues across the world.

And with Bangladesh facing Test tours to South Africa and the West Indies, as well as a two-match series with Sri Lanka at home all before the Indian Premier League starts in April, Shakib may be wary of burnout.

"Shakib has submitted a letter to the BCB asking for a six-month break from Test cricket," Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, agency reports quoted Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, as saying, “Shakib wrote a letter to us asking for a six-month break. He can miss the first Test against South Africa but if he wants, he can play the second Test. He will not be traveling with the team but he can tell us what he decides to do."

Akram confirmed that the Bangladesh all-rounder had made the request in a bid to prolong his international career.

"We can’t always be thinking about us. We should also keep his fatigue into consideration,’ he said.

Shakib has scored 3594 runs at 40.38 in Tests, while taking 188 wickets at an average of 32.27.

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